Spring 2023

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FROM THE PRESIDENT – Jeannie Denbo
Recently, the Architectural Committee has been addressing greenbelt violations. Greenbelt properties are owned by the Association and it is a violation, subject to fines, when owners encroach into the greenbelt. In addition, property owners are responsible for knowing where their property lines are located which can include paying for a survey conducted by a licensed surveyor. License agreements may be an option for golf cart paths and for 10 foot fire breaks. These agreements terminate when a property changes ownership and new owners may apply for their own license agreement or return the property to a native state. With an approved license agreement, owners can place 5/8 minus gravel in the designated areas. 5/8 minus gravel is the only authorized ground cover. On May 7, 2021. in an effort to address several longtime encroachments, a letter was sent to many owners that may have been in violation by encroaching. The letter offered a one-time exception to the standard license agreement allowing grass and/or 5/8 minus gravel for encroachments already in place. Thank you to all that have come into compliance. Annual ballot packets have been mailed. Please review your packet and make an informed decision when you vote. The Board will be hosting a question and answer session on June 10th at 3:00 pm at the clubhouse or on-line for any ballot related questions. Your vote is very important so please vote!.

From the GENERAL MANAGER’s Desk - James Curdy
This past weekend with temps pushing triple digits it really did feel like summer. Memorial Day weekend was fairly typical with temps in the 80s.
We are still hiring with the following positions available; Assistant Watermaster, Full Charge Bookkeeper and various summer positions.
Annual SPRING CLEANUP was a success even though participation was down.
The SHRED TRUCK on Saturday took in 68 boxes of documents from members. 
Our code compliance person and the Architectural Committee continue to work with members regarding Greenbelt encroachments with many positive results. We will continue to try and work collaboratively with owners as more are discovered.
  REMINDERS: All golf carts used on the streets must have the required equipment even though permits are no longer required by the Sheriff.  Also, annual dues and assessment will be coming out the first week of August and paying your account ahead is an option so that month isn’t such a large payment.
The Snack Shack has reopened with its new name “River View Cafe” and a new menu too! We now have preset menu options for people or group outing events. It is located next to the tennis courts and driving range at 505 Clubhouse Way SW.

PARKS & GREENBELTS- Volunteer Park monitors are being sought for 4^th of July Park usage. The sign-up sheet is in the office.
The new Park Rec Facility opened Mother’s Day weekend with lots of items available to check out (See Anita’s article for more info)
EXERCISE FACILITY
The carpets have been cleaned and a new replacement treadmill has been ordered.
GOLF COURSE
The golf course looks good coming out of winter and it has been busy. The replacement trees from the windstorm damage are doing good too (See Don and Shawn’s articles for more info)
Information from WSDOT I-90 INFO - With the summer construction season approaching, Interstate 90 between North Bend and Vantage will experience multiple construction projects that will affect the flow of traffic.
More information about upcoming construction, messaging you can pass along, and their 2023 folio about I-90 construction. The goal is to help travelers prepare for and avoid the worst of the delays by staying connected and visiting our online open house.
REMEMBER, you can also follow us on Facebook for information and upcoming events at: Desert Aire Owners Association and/or Desert Aire Golf Course
As always please be sure your email and phone number are current with our office by calling or you can update them ONLINE through the website portal.  Call or email the office with any questions setting up your account.
If you have any questions, thoughts or ideas, stop by, call or send me an email to curdy@desertaire.org  


 


 Garbage Service is available through Waste Management of Ellensburg at (800) 572-4559. For non-full-time residents they even offer a roll out service with a nominal fee. *Please remember to store your can securely out of sight on non-dump days. Well 6 is our high GPM well that is used in the summer time and it was down for a couple weeks for diagnosis and installation of a new softstart controller replacing the original equipment from 1995. 
The pool is open on weekends only until the 14^th of June.  With five employees returning from last year.  Members must have their owner’s card for entry into the pool.  Member without their cards will not be allowed entry.  If your family has grown or as children get older, it’s a good idea to have your picture updated.  There is no charge to update your owner’s card.
If you are gone for an extended period of time the Water Department can shut off your water at the meter for $5.00, this will not stop pipes from breaking but it will not flood your home.  Reminder, the water policy effective August 1^st 2009, states members are not to access the meter boxes in any way or they will be subject to the enforcement mechanisms of the policy.  
All samples taken have been good.  We are currently at 1,302 connections to the water system.  The total year to date gallons produced for the overall domestic water system is 64,651,884.  Water in the evening or early morning when evaporation is least likely to occur.  Drip irrigation may be used during the day with little water lost from evaporation.  Do not water when it is windy. 

Golf Course SUPERINTENDENT Report – Shawn Hocking
We are into the season of regular maintenance with increased mowing, trimming, etc., and just made it through a couple short lived hot spells.
On the golf course we have had some very nice conditions for play and have had some groups and golf events over the last few weeks. We should be receiving our first two basalt hole monuments for our tee complexes fairly soon and will begin installing them after arrival. The pine and ash trees that were planted this spring are doing well. These are the replacements for the blown over trees last November.
As for the other areas of DA, it is primarily general maintenance. We have installed a new bicycle repair station at the park next to the restroom, as well as a bench at the Park and Recreation Center.
Enjoy the rest of the spring and early summer!

PRO SHOP NEWS – Don Tracy, PGA Professional
The weather has finally turned the corner. Temperatures are back to normal for the first time this year.  Green Fees for April were $45,223.00.  In April 2022 they were $30,590.00.  Year to date through April 30th green fees are $87,438.00 and in 2022 they were $75,980.00. However, our rounds played has decreased slightly due to cold weather since the start of the year. Mid-Columbia Senior Tour will be on Wednesday, June 7th. The Pro Shop is continuing to get new inventory in throughout the spring.  We have several new lines of apparel and clubs including Under Armor, Haus of Grey, Swannies, GG Blue and Tail in stock. Also, we have the newest Ping 430, Callaway Paradym, XXIO 12, Cleveland Launcher and XXIO Prime available to demo. Be sure and stop in and check out the new stock.
 
Hope to see you at the course soon. 




Communications Committee – Jan Hansen
It has come to the attention that owners are having trouble accessing information on the Association website.  Hope this helps.
Website address:    DAOA.org
Owners must set up an account to view information on the secured side of the website.           
- Use the numbers on your owner issued card, adding a 0 before the 5 numbers. 
- Create a personal password.
- Access the desired account on the dashboard.
- Click on the menu for the information topic that you are wanting to access.
- Example: To access board minutes
- Click on the main Board title.
- Click on the Meeting topic.
- Scroll down to find the four-topic dashboard and click on the Minutes menu link.
-  Agendas, the meeting link and annual minutes are also available.
- Older minutes prior to 2021 can be found on the archived menu.
- The same steps will also allow committee reports and minutes to be read.
It is important that your email, phone number and address are up-to-date in the office so email blasts and newsletters reach your household.  Information is also found in the Village Extra community board and the locked boards at the mailbox kiosks.

Security and Safety Committee –Pam Thorsen

Since 1970, Desert Aire has been faced with a variety of issues. Many have been dealt with, but some seem to still linger. 

Since 2018, the Security/Safety Committee (SSC) mission statement has been: to work with available constituencies to improve the public security and safety presence to 24 hours/day, 365 days/year with emphasis including: security services/community policing patrol, emergency management, fire safety, traffic/road safety, animal control, code enforcement, public health, owner education and any other related concerns affecting the security and safety of the Desert Aire Owners Association in the rural village known as Desert Aire, Washington. 

To do this, a consistent group of 12 owners, who have now welcomed two more, plus building relationships with stakeholder representatives has been invaluable during discussions and recommendations needed.  

Last month, SSC launched the “Know Your Neighbor” project – check out the flyer in this newsletter for more information. 

This month, work has begun on SSC’s Safe Streets/Roads (SSR) initiative. The emphasis on this issue really began in March of 2021 when 32 individuals – 24 owners and 9 stakeholder representatives - participated in SSC’s meeting on road safety. A first “win” of this effort was finding out that $12 million was placed in the legislative budget for improvements on SR 243 between Desert Aire and Vernita Bridge.  Additional resources are continuing to be pursued to extend the targeted area beyond this first phase.  However, transportation projects typically have a six-to-ten-year cycle from first adoption, and competitiveness around the state for funds is fierce.

SSC’s homework to get to this point was to find out what we didn’t know, beyond what we did know - that Grant County didn’t do a good job of keeping up on the schedule for normal road maintenance on Desert Aire roads.  SSC is now working with a third GC roads engineer and pleased to report that the next phase of collecting ideas for SSR is at hand.

Resources used so far include GC Transportation Improvement Plan, adopted in October each year, WSDOT Active Transportation Plan 2020 and Beyond (377 pages), 2022 WSDOT Statewide Human Services Transportation Plan (105 pages) and annual grant deadlines (July) WA State Public Works Board and US Dept of Transportation Safe Streets/Road. 

Discussions to develop a pro-active scope for Desert Aire roads includes working with Grant County prior to the next road maintenance rotation (eight-year cycle), concerns for pedestrian safety, traffic, speeding issues currently, while looking forward towards innovative and creative solutions continuously.  

How can you help?  Plan on attending SSC’s next meeting on Wednesday, June 14^th at 6:00 pm at the downstairs of the community building and virtual. This open forum is the next step in SSC’s process.  Representatives from Grant County will also be joining us. If you can’t make it, please still send us your thoughts, concerns and ideas to
dahoasAfetYcommittee@gmail.com

Parks & Recreation Committee—Anita Hammond
It’s been an amazing year for the Parks & Recreation Committee. Although Parks & Recreation has been a small committee consisting mostly of Steve and Anita Hammond and a few people who attended a meeting now and then this spring, we have come out strong and our numbers are beginning to grow.
This year the committee worked hard to complete the Parks & Recreation Center in the Park and we celebrated the Grand Opening on May 13^th. Most of the labor done to bring this project to fruition was done by donation and most of the materials were salvaged or donated by individuals in the community.  It turned out fabulously and it is something the entire community can be proud of.
At the Parks & Recreation Center, kids and adults can check out sporting equipment and many games free of charge, simply by filling out a simple registration card and getting issued a number for future use. We have many items including basketballs, soccer balls, volley balls and nets, pickleball paddles, croquet and so much more.  We also have bottled water, Gatorade, ice cream, popcorn, and popsicles for sale. We are pleased to have the book mobile visiting the park throughout the year and we will be working on putting together a Storytime in the park to coincide with the book mobile days. Volunteers are welcome to submit their name to come and read to the children. The Golf Cart Poker run was Scheduled for May 27^th Start and finish points were at the park, as well as four other stations throughout Desert Aire with fun and challenging games to test both skills and nerves! The Cost was $35.00 and included a t-shirt. This year we had 71 participants in the Golf Cart Poker Run it was a great time for everyone including all the wonderful volunteers who made this happen. A special thank you to Josh Seanard who worked with us to make this Poker Run a success, without Josh we wouldn’t have been able to pull this off within the short time frame we had to work with. A huge shout out to the ladies at the Prickly Pear Boutique for the amazing job they did on the t-shirts for the Poker Run!  Thank you to all the sponsors: Generations Home Team NW, Tumbleweeds, Desert Perk, R Place, and Mattawa/Desert Aire Lions club for their support!
2023 Poker Run Results
1^st   Place, Andy Hoven, with a Royal Flush.
2^nd  Place, Amy Toler, with a Royal Flush.
3^rd  Place,  John Best, with four Aces.
4^th  Place,  Beau Pagarigan, with four Queens.
Mike Thueringer, Debi Pollack and Tami Cain, won Glow in the Dark Golf balls, with all three coming in with a full house! Great game guys
 
Fourth Of July
Fourth of July celebration will begin July 1^st in the park with a 5K fun run and tons of family friendly fun and games and continue Sunday the 2nd, with the blessing of the community at 9:00 am that will kick off another fun filled day to include tug of war, trike races, pie contests and cake walks. On Monday the 3^rd, we have a full day of activities planned to include a Mini Hoop Shoot! Then on the Fourth of July there the raising of the flag ceremonies in Mattawa at the flag pole past the library at 8:00 am, then there is the Sagebrush Senior
Center 4th of July Golf Cart Parade, which is something you will not want to miss, see you all there!
The Parks and Recreation Committee is looking forward to bringing this community together with fun-filled activities throughout the year. We are always looking for individuals who are willing to donate equipment and/or their time teaching skills to our youth. We are looking for a street hockey coach/assistant coach for the summer and fall. If you are interested, please contact Parks & Rec.
We encourage families to come have their family picnics, play basketball or volleyball or a good old-fashioned game of wiffleball. We have a beautiful park filled with playground equipment and now with the Parks & Recreation Center, tons of games and sports equipment to check out…. plan your next family get together today!
 


Airport News—Bob Trantina
Don’t forget to join us for the annual Desert Aire Airport Fly-In Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, June 17^th from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.  Come and enjoy a breakfast of pancakes, sausage and eggs and all the trimmings, see some beautiful airplanes, and meet your neighbors and friends.  It’s Father’s Day weekend so bring the whole family!  We also have some great raffle items to give away.  
The Airport District recently joined the newly formed South Grant County Chamber of Commerce (formerly the Mattawa Chamber of Commerce) and looks forward to working in partnership with the other area districts in ways that benefit our communities. 
On May 3^rd, the runway sealcoat project was completed by C.R. Contracting from Bend, Oregon.  The final step leading to completion was the application of the 2^nd coat of paint and reflective beads.   The project was labeled ‘complete’ by project manager Vince Himsl on May 5^th.
The work was paid for with a combination of airport district funds and a large grant from the Washington State Dept. of Transportation – Aviation Division.  Thanks to WSDOT for making this possible
Did You Know …
The airport district is larger than Desert Aire.   See Airport District Boundaries here.  Unlike private airports often run by an owner association, our airport is for public use and is run by a board of 3 volunteer commissioners who are elected by county ballot every 2 years. 
Commissioner board meetings are held on the 3^rd Thursday of each month at the Desert Aire Golf Course clubhouse.  The public is invited and encouraged to attend meetings, share ideas and provide input.  Time, Date and place CHANGES can be found here
Airport Facebook Page Here
Airport Website Here
   

  Village Extras!!
Lots of activities are going on at Desert Aire.  This new feature highlights these going-ons that are of interest to our owners.
 
 Country Club Happenings
We had a great turnout for the Jack Rabbit Co-Ed Golf Tournament on May 20^th & 21^st with 46 teams participating. We had several teams from several different courses even as far as Alderbrook Golf Club. This is always a fun event and incudes 2 days of golf, plus a dinner on Saturday night at the Sagebrush Senior Center. Plan on it next year and invite your friends.
Our next event will be The Horse Race on Friday June 23^rd at 4:00 pm.  The teams will be computer picked based on Handicaps.   Deck Party to follow at the Clubhouse.  Appetizers will be provided. Come join us for a fun event even if you don’t play for $5.00. Registration forms are now available in the Clubhouse.
We will be hosting a new event this summer - Top Golf Desert Aire Style. This will be a team event open to any ages and no handicap needed. You can make it a family event. Mark your calendar for Friday, July 14^th.  More details to follow.
Join the Country Club for only $25.00 per year and you will receive a reduced rate at our events
 
 
IMPORTANT DATES: All meetings (held via BlueJeans, login information is available on the website member page, unless stated otherwise) and owners are encouraged to attend.
Desert Aire Board of Directors – Held the 3^rd Thursday of each month (except December) at 6:00 PM.
Architectural Committee - Meets the 2^nd and 4^th Wednesday of each month at 3:00 PM. (Except in November and December, when they meet only on the 2^nd Wednesday).
Golf Committee – Meets the 2^nd Tuesday of each month at 2:00 PM.
Parks and Recreation Committee – Meets the 1^st Wednesday of each month at 3:00 PM.
Communications Committee – Meets the 2^nd Tuesday each month at 3:30 PM.
Security & Safety Committee - Meets the 2^nd Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM
Desert Aire Airport Commissioners - Meets the 3^rd Thursday of each month at 4:00 PM.