An Evening Under The Stars Featuring: • Premium Wines Sonoma Cutrer, Merryvale, Frescobaldi, Catena & Turnbull, Kenwood, Hess & more • Craft Beers New Belgium, Fat Tire & Widmer & more • Great Food Seafood, Carving & Dessert Stations & more Live entertainment by The Legends of the Desert Marc Lebrun Barry Minnifield Brian Nova Pat Rizzo Date: Friday, April 4 Time: 6 to 10 pm $65.00 Price is per person and is subject to tax and gratuity. Schedule subject to change without notice. Must be 21 years of age or older to attend. For reservations, call 760-322-1655 Poolside at the Desert Princess Resort Desert Princess Resort & Desert Princess Country Club present DESERT PRINCESS Country Club & HOA Newsletter April 2014
Clubhouse BarExt. 128Hours: Sunday - Saturday 10 am to Close
Clubhouse DiningLeon’s at Desert PrincessFor Reservations, (760) 325-5002
Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner & MoreOpen Tuesday through Saturday - 7 am – 9 pm Sunday, Monday - 7 am – 6 pm Sunday Brunch - 10 am - 2 pm Happy Hour Monday - Friday - 3 - 6 pm
Lagos CaféPhone: (760) 778-3624Hours: 7 am - 3 pm Daily
Golf ShopPhone: (760) 322-2280Tee Times (760) 322-7779Hours: Open Sun - Saturday 6 am - 5 pm Rand Veal, Director of [email protected]
Tennis & Athletics28-600 Isleta CourtPhone: (760) 322-5178Hours: Mon - Fri 6 am - 7 pm Sat & Sun 7 am - 5 pmCharlie Moore, Director of Tennis & [email protected]
An opportunity to sell your services to all your neighbors with a print circulation that reaches our 1084 homes, our Clubhouse and HOA front desks, and beyond! Your ad would be seen online across the Coachella Valley and the far reaches of the Internet.
For information or to place an ad, please call Dori at 760-322-1655 or visit Desert Princess Country Club’s Front Desk.
*Deadline for all ad contracts and artworkis the 10th of the month for inclusion in the next month’s edition.
Editor & Graphic Designer Grace Taylor Segal
Executive AssistantDori Petee
Published byDesert Princess Homeowners Association28-211 Desert Princess Dr., Cathedral City, CA 92234
OUR MISSION:Ensure the Desert Princess enhances owners’ asset values by providing quality venues, amenities, and activities with a sustainable level of service to the satisfaction of our owners, their guests and our public.
OUR VISION:Continue making the Desert Princess the best-value lifestyle community in the greater Palm Springs area.
Marilyn J. White PresidentRay Brown Vice-President Bill Bender Treasurer, SecretaryTim Gaffney DirectorTim Dermody DirectorDon Milligan DirectorMichelle Simson Director
The Royal Page is now published electronically. Links to a downloadable and interactive issue of the publication is emailed to Homeowners. Printed copies are available either for pick-up at the HOA or Country Club reception or upon request, via U.S Postal Service. This distribution method of your community magazine provides the Association with a significant savings in printing and mailing costs. If you would like a hard copy of the magazine, call Dori Petee at 760-322-1655 or email her at [email protected]. rp_0414_v2-w
ADVERTISING DISCLAIMERThe Desert Princess Homeowners Associa-tion makes no representations and gives no warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the information in the advertisements provided herein.
By publishing this information, Desert Princess HOA gives no recommendation or endorsement of any company, service or product promoted in ads that appear in The Royal Page.
Dear Homeowners:Recently management came across this article concerning Anger and Apathy in Associations. We found this article to be enlightening as it concerns some of our present issues in our community as well as new procedures the Board is in the process of adopting. Thankfully, we have the Association Staff that has already complied with the new disclosure requirements that went into effect on January 1st. Most of those items were provided with your annual disclosures last September. Going forward, the Board Governance Committee will continue to meet and review/revise policies and procedures at the Boards level. This includes the Board Policy Governance Manual. The Member Governance Committee continues to meet as well in reviewing the Associations governing documents and providing recommendations for revisions where needed. Together we strive in bettering the community and setting forth those policies and procedures to help the Board, Management and Homeowners be prepared with the proper tools in addressing issues when they arise.
MARILYN J. WHITE President, Desert Princess Board of Directors [email protected]
There is so much anger and apathy in our communities these days that we could discuss this topic all day long. For better or worse we cannot delve into every reason for or every example of all the anger and apathy in our communities. Understanding some useful tips and tools for addressing both anger and apathy in your com-munities is the first place to start. To address anger and apathy in our communities we must:
1. Be prepared and2. Manage expectations
While these two suggestions seem obvious, the key is to actually apply them in your communities. These concepts are linked and implementing the first often leads to addressing the second.
So how do we become prepared? A good starting place is to review the newly required Annual Policy Statement required under Civil Code Section 5310. Policies required to be provided to owners under this new law include the assessment enforcement policy (Section 5730), disciplinary policy and fine schedule (Section 5850), a summary of dispute resolution policies (Sections 5920 and 5965), and a summary of architectural approval requirements (Section 4765).
This list is only the starting point. In addition to the legally required policies, most associations should adopt additional policies such as directors’ code of ethics, code of conduct for your community mem-bers, communications policy, vendor access policy, water damage policy, and a parliamentary proce-dure / meeting conduct policy. This is, by no stretch, a fully comprehensive list. You should look closely within your own community to determine other policies that would be beneficial.
The key is to adopt these policies well before you need them. Directors are more receptive to a codeof ethics when they are not embroiled in a dispute with other directors. A community is more receptive to a water damage claim policy when the communi-ty is not faced with monthly or weekly pipe failures. Adopt these policies so that your community is prepared for any issues that arrive.
How do we manage expectations? Much anger is derived from a feeling of surprise or a feeling that an expectation has not been met. By clearly setting
forth the association’s policies, owners will understand what the association expects of its owners and vice-versa – what owners can expect of the association. If expectations are met, there will be less disappointment and potentially less anger.
What if we are already dealing with angry or apathetic members? When dealing with an angry person, it is im-portant to realize that he or she may have entered a state of fight/flight. When someone is in this state,attempting to reason with him or her is akin to debat-ing the air speed velocity of an unlade swallow with a knight of the round table. The fight or flight state physically prevents a person from seeing reason. The recovery time for this state is typically twenty minutes if the person is not further angered. Consider the follow-ing suggestions to avoid making matters worse and to speed up this recovery process:
1. Stay calm.2. Assess why the person is angry. Is it related to the
association or entirely unrelated?3. Accept the anger, let the person vent and do not take
it personally. Time heals; let it!4. Break the cycle by disengaging and using empa-
thetic statements.
Sometimes owners simply remain angry despite your best attempts to talk them off the ledge. For thesesituations you might wish to consider these tips:
1. Limit channels of communication. Do not engage ifyou can avoid it.
2. If there are threats of violence, talk to an attorneyabout a restraining order.
3. Use a previously adopted community code of conduct.
4. Use parliamentary procedure, change open forumtime or make other meeting adjustments.
5. Follow all procedures or policies that have beenadopted. Manage expectations!
Anger isn’t the only “a” word that associations face. Apathy is another one that is extremely difficult to overcome. The easiest method of addressing apathy is to never let it happen. Unfortunately this is not alwayspossible. Apathy is often created through a belief by the apathetic person that they do not matter or that their opinions or involvement are irrelevant. Manag-ing expectations can help avoid these feelings. Other tips include:
1. Demonstrate you are listening and that the per-son matters.
2. Show an interest in the person and/or their inter-ests or concerns.
3. Rally by example. Demonstrate leadership, inter-est and involvement.
By creating a culture of appreciation and foster-ing engagement in your community you can try to avoid apathy in your community. This includes de-veloping proper communication tools and ensuring that communication is viewed as a two way street.
Use your communications policy to be prepared and to manage the expectations of your members as to what they can expect to receive and how they are expected to communicate with the association. For example, owners should understand that their communications should be presented in writing to the manager for inclusion in the board packet. It should be clear that directly contacting directors is not a proper method of communication. Inform the member that the correspondence will be reviewed at an upcoming meeting. Making owners understand that they and their concerns are important is one of the most effective ways to avoid apathy!
Overcoming Anger and Apathy in AssociationsContinued from page 5
Unfortunately there is no easy answer to dealing with angry or apathetic owners in a community. Being pre-pared and managing expectations are the first steps. Take a minute to think about policies, committee charters and other tools that your community has or needs in order to prepare for issues that will arise and to manage expecta-tions within the community.
JAMES R. MCCORMICK, JR., ESQ.Peters & Freedman, L.L.P.
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DESERT PRINCESS CRAFTERS
Crafters meet every Wednesday from noon until 3:30 pm in the Master's Lounge. Please come join us. There are always projects to work on and we welcome any new ideas or talents you'd like to share. At this time, we are preparing for our fall Bazaar to raise funds for the six charities that we work with in the local community. They are: Cathedral City Boys and Girls Club, Cathedral City Police Department, Mt. San Jacinto High School special program, Operation Safe House, Troops in Afghanistan and our special Cathedral Palms senior citizens.
Thank you to so many Desert Princess residents who have been donating items for our seniors. The seniors are always excited when we deliver things there and they are so appreciative. When we go with a load of items, many come to greet us and go through the items and take them to use immediately. They are a very special group of people. I believe we have taken at least 300 loads over in recent years. The Social Worker there is Craig Bruce and does a wonderful job for the residents. He works there Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, so we limit our deliveries to those days.
If you'd like to join Crafters and/or donate items, please call one of us: Barbara Gibson 327-1320, Sharon Hadler 325-3263, Rosie Mascolo 288-2889, Maureen McLaughlin 322-1232 or Irene Ripley6 325-6839. Hope to see you Wednesday.
Coyote Sighting: Desert Princess Golf & Country Club Embraces Pro Football
Desert Princess follows precedent set by NFL's Frankford Yellow Jackets in 1926
When the board of directors voted unanimously voted on March 21 to become the home field and training headquarters of the two-time champion SoCal Coyotes, precedent -- and expectations -- were already established. In 1926, the last time a pro football team opened training camp on a championship golf course, the Frankford Yellow Jackets went on to beat Red Grange and the undefeated Chicago Bears for the NFL title.
The Coyotes -- who already hold two AAA crowns - enter their fourth season as one of four teams in the new Professional Spring American Football League, joining Hattiesburg, St. Petersburg and Los Angeles. The Yellow Jackets, who trained at the luxurious Wildwood Golf & Country Club in Cape May Court House, N.J., would become the Philadelphia Eagles, a fact not lost on the proud hometown SoCal Coyotes.
Desert Princess will share the revenue, celebrity and energy that only a championship-caliber pro football team can deliver. The Coyote practices also are be open to everyone and all homeowners will receive season tickets as part of the new arrangement.
It doesn't hurt, either, that the Coyotes are also a non-profit sports leadership organization, whose civic service and championship football has elicited praise from the mayors of Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage and even Catalina Island, not to mention the local public school district.
Thanks to modern social media, the popular Coyotes enjoy a staggering online footprint via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest. The team has a year-round coach's show on KXPS Team 1010 (www.team1010.com/index.php/football/socal-coyotes), along with play-by-play broadcasts of every game, which are aired live from the Desert Princess.
"This is an opportunity to showcase our property in a way nobody ever dreamed," says Desert Princess golf superintendent Jonas Conlan. "NFL scouts have two reasons to come here -- play championship golf in the morning, and sign our boys at the clubhouse in the afternoon."
Meanwhile, Desert Princess members expect 'their' Coyotes to bring home another title. The Frankford Yellow Jackets finished their 1926 'golf course' season with a 14-1-2 record, making them the undisputed NFL champions -- and 11 of those victories were shutouts.
"To whom much is given, much is required," smiled Coyotes president and head coach J David Miller, and himself a Desert Princess resident.
(For more information, visit www.facebook.com/thesocalcoyotes.)
NEED ASSISTANCE DURING THE WEEKEND?The Country Club's Administrative Office is open Saturdays and Sundays from 8 am to 4 pm (closed on holidays). They are fully equipped and readily avail-able to assist you with a number of items including but not limited to:
• Golf Cart Registrations• Transponder Purchases• Work Order Submissions• Payments to your Club and/or HOA accounts• Headshots for your Membership Cards• Copies, scans & faxes
...and much more!
Please stop by to see them over the weekend for assis-tance with your pressing matters or stop by the HOA Monday thru Friday from 8 am to 4:30 pm....
If you need after hours assistance, please call the HOA ahead of time to inquire if any staff members can accommodate after closing. Thank you!
CHANNEL 98Your DESERT PRINCESS
Community Channel
Golf Cart Requirements
All golf carts must be registered with the Association and display a valid registration decal with current year stickers “tags” displaying owner membership and/or golf membership. Failure to register your golf cart by November 1, 2013 but no later than December 31, 2013 or at time of purchase will result in a $500 Fine.
Cart Owners must provide verification of liability insurance at the time of registration. Annual tags may be picked up from the Homeowners Association Office or the Club Admin Office. Drivers of carts must be licensed .
Field Of Dreams: Desert Princess Hosts UFAL Champion Socal Coyotes Tryouts On Sunday, March 16, from 3 to 6 pm, dozens of hopefuls were "chasing the dream" when our desert oasis hosted the 2014 AAA professional football "What Is Your Legacy?" tryout camp with the SoCal Coyotes non-profit sports leadership organization.
Professional football futures were on the line when young men arrived at the Desert Princess to show off their skills to the two-time champion SoCal Coyotes, in the first step of an uphill battle to make their 2014 roster -- and a chance to demonstrate their wares to the world.
Residents had a front-row seat to all the action, right in your backyard! Our driving range exploded into a real-life field of dreams - as the Coyotes saw who had what it takes to be the next star.
Last year, your AAA desert champion Coyotes graduated two players to the National Football League, and 10 more to an array of other professional leagues. Many outstanding members of The Desert Princess have embraced the non-profit Coyotes, who have made an enormous impact in our community through player mentoring and development, organizational management and dynamic service.
Even if you missed the event last month, you will have a chance to see pro football up close and personal, and meet many of the team's home-grown superstars because Desert Princess is now the home ield and training headquar-ters of the two-time champion SoCal Coyotes. For more information, see page seven.
As April arrives and the golf season ends our friends from the East and North will soon depart the valley for the summer homes. The golf shop staff and I would like to thank everyone for another wonderful season at Desert Princess. The golf members/homeowners/renters who participated in this year’s events, those who volunteered to assist in tournaments and those individuals that adopted a hole deserve everyone’s gratitude. It is individuals like the ones mentioned above who make living and playing at Desert Princess special.
With the arrival of spring, we at DPCC must due some much needed housecleaning. Over the past few months, the Pro Shop is missing range baskets and range tokens. We would appreciate your help in getting any missing range baskets and range tokens returned.
Jonas and his staff have done a terrific job maintaining the golf course this year. It is up to all of us to assist the maintenance staff in this critical endeavor. All golfers can aid in keeping the course in its current condition by: filling divots with sand, repairing ball marks, and following proper cart rules.
Our golf course has had a superb winter this year. The frost delays came early in December and were infrequent. With the recent warm weather, we are seeing the bermuda grass coming out of it's dormancy and greening up the "golden" areas.
As you may have noticed, we have some new lakes on the course as the irrigation lines are breaking more frequently. We seem to have a major break every month that costs us not only for the crew to effect repairs, but the cost of the water is also lost.
Your Golf Committee continues to work with Jonas Conlan, the Super Golf Committee, the Finance Committee and the Board of Directors to come to terms with an Irrigation System that works for everyone in the community. At this writing, we are all working on ways to overcome the cost of a new
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system or if we can spread out these costs by doing only portions of the project one at a time. It seems that there will be increased costs in doing it over time as well as not receiving the savings associated with a completed project. Doing the right thing is everyone's priority.
Please continue to fill your divots and repair a few extra pitch marks on the greens.
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Brandon Richardson, PGA Director of Instruction is dedicated to providing each and every student with the environment where great breakthroughs in learning, enjoyment and performance are common place.
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The annual election of the DP Women’s Golf Club Board of Directors was held at the March General Meeting of the membership. Congratulations to the following newly elected officers:
President: Sherry Bauman - Vice President: Jean Smith - Secretary: Irene MurphyTreasurer: Gigi Jack - Tournaments: Randie Henry - Handicap: Annette Atkinson
The annual Club Championship was played over three days, March 13, 15, and 16. All members who participated could choose to enter any of the flights they qualify for: Champion, Senior Champion (60 + years), or Super Senior Champion (70 + yrs.).
Congratulations to: Club Champion: Marilyn J WhiteSenior Champion: Christine BauerSuper Senior Champion: Wilma Snethun
Other results of the Women’s Club Championship Tournament included: A Flight Gross Net 1st Place Shaun Pulice Carlie Tronto
2nd Place Donna Elliott Carol ClarkB Flight 1st Place Randie Henry Karen Hopwood
2nd Place Betty Milligan Helen RanoC Flight: 1st Place Connie Olson Myrna Siwiecki 2nd Place Donna Fisher Ellen Boeye
During the tournament, Shaun Pulice scored an eagle 3, on Lagos 7, holing her third shot from 84 yards. Congrats Shaun!! Winner of the $100 Drawing was Gail Fairburn.
The final Guest Day of the season, themed “50 Shades of Green”, was held on Tuesday, March 25th.
The Pinehurst Tournament, a partner event, was held on Saturday, March 29th, and Sunday, March 30th. Both partners tee off and then hit each other’s tee shot. The better ball is then selected and partners alternate shots until the ball is holed out. The best score for each hole from the two rounds played is selected. The results of the two day eclectic will be available in the May edition of the Royal Page. Following the Pinehurst Tournament, the Club held their farewell party “Bar-B-Que”.
The Fall Team closing party is scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, to be held at Indian Wells CC.
The Tournament of Champions is scheduled to be held on Sunday, April 6. Following this tournament, the Annual Awards will be given. The results will appear in the May edition of The Royal Page.
Director of Golf Rand Veal, with Tournament Champ Marilyn White & Steve Fitzharris
Left to right: Rand Veal, Wilma Snethun (Super Senior Over-all Champion), Marilyn White (Overall Champion), Christine Bauer (Senior Overall Champion), Steve Fitzharris.
L to R: B Flight - Wilma Snethun, Karen Hopwood, Randie Henry, Betty Milligan & Helen Rano.
L to R: A Flight - Carol Clark, Carlie Tronto, Shaun Pulice & Donna Elliott.
L to R: C Flight – Donna Fisher, Connie Olson, Myrna Siwiecki & Ellen Boeye
The month of March is definitely Tennis Month in the desert and that was evident over here at the Athletic Center with all that Charlie had going on, it was great to be able to watch some of those matches.
Well April is here, bringing with it our beautiful spring season and all our fantastic blossoming fruit tree’s with their amazing fragrance….especially on a cool spring evening, truly one of my favorite times here in our beautiful desert.
The sad part of our spring is a lot of our seasonal homeowners are packing up and heading home. This season came and went in a blink of an eye….way too fast for us.
Hopefully, some homeowners will be able to sneak in for the April Spa Special before they start their
journey home. This would be such a great way to end their stay and take advantage of our homeowner’s special. How wonderful to leave feeling relaxed and rejuvenated.
And for all that are staying just another reminder about the Spa membership of 6 months or 12 months or even our Loyalty Program….perfect for the off season.
The bustling crowds from the BNP Paribas have come and gone, but that does not mean the tennis season is over as well. The month of April will feature two wonderful spectating events on the Desert Princess courts. April 5-6 we will be hosting the Desert Princess Junior Open which will feature some of the finest junior tennis players from the Southern California area. Age groups for this 2 day event will be 10 & under through 18 & under with both boys and girls competing in both singles and doubles. On April 10 & 11 we will once again be hosting matches for the renowned USTA Spring Nationals, also known as The Easter Bowl. The Easter Bowl features the finest junior talent from all over the United States. Juniors have to be ranked at the very top of their age groups in their section of the country to have the opportunity to participate in this very prestigious event. Both of these events are free of charge to come and grab a chair and watch these exceptional kids battle it out.
Megan Harvey, our fitness trainer remains busy keeping the homeowners and guests in tip top shape. Megan is here through May if you are looking for some help in the gym. Jason Lushia has come on board as our yoga instructor and offers yoga sessions on Fridays at 9 am in one of our racquetball courts.
The weekly adult tennis clinics are ongoing and have been very well attended. Our junior program is doing well with many of our juniors competing quite well in area tournaments.
Hope everyone gets an opportunity to swing by the courts for the next two exciting tournaments.
deSert princeSS country club28-555 landau blvd., catHedral city, ca
MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY
3 to 6 pm
GREAT HAPPY HOUR MENUJoin us!
HAPPY HOUR
Closing PartyFriday, April 11
www.desertprincesscc.com 27
FROM THE CHIEFS CORNER
Is That A Hazardous Materials Incident or the Flu?
During a hazardous materials incident, firefighters and first responders isolate the area and deny entry to keep it contained. The same goes if you have the flu. Both are toxic and pose an unreasonable risk to our Health, Safety and Environment! Isolate yourself and stay away from others because it spreads through contamination.
“Nothing is more disgusting than to see people sick in the gym, restaurants, stores, offices or at work – even many of those who serve us are sick with the flu. And we wonder why it’s an epidemic says Chief DiGiovan-na...”
The flu can spread up to six feet away. This happens when flu sufferers cough, sneeze or talk, or when a care-taker or family member touches something that has flu virus on it and then touches their own mouth or nose. You’ve been exposed to the hazardous contaminants at that point!
Hand-washing is one of the best ways to stay healthy during the flu season. If you’re sick take it a step further. Stay home, isolate yourself, deny contact and exposure to others as much as possible! If you’re sick, consider yourself a Haz Mat Incident and be a good first respond-er - stay home! Be part of the solution, not the problem.
For additional Flu tips visit: http://www.ehow.com/how_7482408_stay-home-work-sick.html
Note: The information in this article was compiled from various sources. These suggestions are not a complete list of every preventative or loss control measure. The information is not intended to replace additional safety manuals or the advice of another qualified professional(s). We make no guarantee of results from use of this information. We assume no liability in connection with the information nor the suggestions made
1. ...is an accident waiting to happen, soplease, after dark remember to:
2. Walk on the side of the road FACINGon coming traffic. That way if thedriver doesn’t see you, you will seehim.
3. Bring a flashlight or flashing lightswith you at all time. You are theperson who is vulnerable.
4. Walk on the far side of the road. (Notdown the middle of the street as youwould if you were driving.)
April is upon us and so many of our residents and snowbirds have packed up and returned to cooler climates in anticipation of the approaching summer months. Our “winter peak season” was just glorious weather with only one weekend of rain, which was good for all of us who enjoy being outdoors, but very bad for the drought conditions we are currently experiencing.
Our summer promises to be hot, hot, hot, so hopefully all of you have made sure your homes are buttoned up, secured and prepared for the brutal summer heat. Because a closed home bakes in the sun in the desert, it’s always a good practice to have some air circulation with overhead fans set to low, and many people like to leave their air conditioners set at 87-89 degrees, just to keep the closed interiors of their homes cooler than the outside temperatures. Close all window blinds and coverings to keep the direct sun out and place buckets of water in a few rooms to keep a touch of moisture in the air and wood surfaces and furniture from drying out. And just a reminder…no aluminum foil or other unsightly coverings are permitted on the window interiors. This is against the rules and you could be cited and fined.
The 2013-2014 ALC met for the last time with its current committee members—Donna Fisher, Pam Meadows, Glen Schaffer, Bob Stover, Toshie Sweeney, Roz Veltri, and, of course, me, Gail Wilson—on Friday, March 14, 2014. The Desert Princess’ governing documents require the dissolution of all committees following the annual Board of Directors election. The newly seated Board calls for committee member applications and then traditionally appoints chair people for each committee. The chair people select the members for their committees and the Board then formally approves the committee members for the year in a subsequent Board meeting.The 2014-2015 ALC Committee members and chairpersons will be announced in an upcoming issue of The Weekly Herald newsletter and for
those who don’t subscribe to that online source, will also be noted in the next edition of The Royal Page. Our outgoing ALC Committee members wish to thank you, all of our homeowners, for your support and confidence in us over this past year.
On a personal note, we’d like to thank Bob Stover for his many years of service on our committee. He told us that he will not be applying to the ALC for this upcoming year. His wise counsel, knowledge, and expertise have been invaluable assets to our group and he will be missed. Thank you, Inspector Bob. We couldn’t have done it without you.
And finally, I want to let you all know how much I’ve enjoyed working with not only the members of the committee but our homeowners as well. It’s been an exciting few years and we’ve accomplished so very much with just a little paint, stone veneer, retractable awnings, ornamental iron gates, Bahama shutters and desert landscaping.
As you’ve probably surmised, I will not be returning to the ALC either, but hope that what we as a group have begun will be carried forward by the next ALC as previous groups have done.
As the season comes to a close, I’d like to take this opportunity to speak to our seasonal residents who will soon be retreating to cooler climates for the summer. Before you leave, make sure your residence is properly secured. Desert Princess Patrol Services will be work diligently to ensure your home is just how you left it when you return. Here are a few tips for keeping your home secure:
Special Watch Program. Before you go, be sure to stop by the Association Office and complete a Special Watch Application. Patrol Services will perform periodic exterior inspections of your unit while you’re away. If any discrepancies are discovered, we will notify you immediately.
Secure all points of entry. Be sure that all doors and windows are locked tightly. I also recommend using wood dowels or frame locks in the tracks of the windows and sliders to add extra security to prevent an unwanted intrusion. This makes it very hard for an intruder to gain entry without breaking a window, creating a good deterrent from a thief.
Draw your blinds and remove outside décor and furnishings. There are always prying eyes. Do not create an attractive nuisance by showing thieves something they could potentially steal. They would be less likely to attempt an entry if they don’t know what’s inside.
Shut off the water. The Rules & Regulations specify that you are to shut off the water to your unit if you will be away for an extended period of time. This is with good reason; especially during the summer. If the water is left on, you run the risk of a possible flood if your internal pipes, fixtures, or water heater were to fail in your absence.
Secure your vehicle. Lock it up! Completely roll up all ofthe windows, and do not leave any valuables inside. Also, as a reminder, vehicles are not permitted to be stored on the streets or parked in excess of 30 days. If you intend to leave a vehicle behind, please ensure that it is properly secured within the garage or make other arrangements for storage. Patrol Services will enforce this through the off season; vehicles will be cited and potentially towed if in violation.
Remember the temperature. Our summer temperatures will reach an excess of 100 degrees daily. Although you won’t be here, do not turn the air conditioner off. If the temperature inside your home reaches highs in excess of 90 degrees daily, you may come home next season to warped cabinets, pealing wallpaper, cracked leather, etc. It’s best to keep the air conditioner running through the summer in the high 80’s.
Fire Hazards. Unplug all electrical devices, e.g. TV’s, computers, coffee makers, etc. They draw power, even when off, and can be a potential fire hazard. You won’t be using these items while you’re away, so, avoid the risk and un-plug them.
Home Security System. If you have a home security system, contact the alarm company and advise that you will be gone for the summer season and that you live in a gated community with a 24hr Patrol Service. You will want to add Desert Princess Patrol Services as a first call for alarm activations. The Cathedral City Police Department will charge homeowners for responses to your residence that turn out to be a false alarm. Coordinate with your alarm company and help avoid an unnecessary charge.
On behalf of the Patrol Services Committee, I’d like to dedicate this piece to a heartfelt thanks to Bob and Irene Ripley for their many years of service to the Desert Princess community. Bob has chaired the Security/Patrol Services committee for many years, while Irene chaired the Neighborhood Watch committee. Both of these individuals have spent tireless hours in voluntary service to help make this a safer and more enjoyable place to live. When you see Bob and Irene, please extend your personal gratitude for the substantial contribution they have made.
The Patrol Services committee is comprised of a group of volunteers. We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 2:30 pm and cordially invite interested members of our community to attend. We work to advise the Board of Directors on matters of safety and security and are always interested in new volunteers.
