Bill Barnard, General Manager
An interesting by-product of the pandemic has been a strong increase in home sales here in Arizona and in PebbleCreek. As a result, we are seeing a large number of new community members. Sometimes navigating everything that PebbleCreek has to offer and learning how to get things done can be overwhelming, especially for a new homeowner, but even for seasonal and longtime residents as well. Our Resident & Guest Services (RGS) desks are a great resource for this kind of information, and I encourage you to contact them whenever you need help or information. The main RGS phone number is 623-935-6780, and you can also find phone numbers for staff and departments on the HOA website and in the PebbleCreek Source Book. In addition to the many informational questions that you may have, I find that new and longtime homeowners can sometimes wonder who does what and why. In my message this month, I want to shed some light on this topic.
In my role as the general manager (GM), I oversee all operational aspects of the PebbleCreek business for the HOA board. I am responsible for the buildings, roads, common areas, golf courses, restaurants, patrol, fitness facilities, pools, sports courts, theater, meeting rooms, ballrooms, administrative functions, housekeeping, human resources, accounting, and the list goes on. Luckily, I have a team of approximately 300 staff members, which includes an assistant GM and a small team of directors and managers who specifically focus on some of the operations mentioned above. We handle the day-to-day processes at PebbleCreek. I’ve said it many times, PebbleCreek is essentially a small city, and my role is similar to that of a city manager. PebbleCreek is larger than our neighboring city of Litchfield Park and many of the cities that our residents come from.
The HOA board is tasked with making sure the community is running well, following the requirements of the governing documents, and honoring the fiduciary obligation of the community’s finances. The board is responsible for setting policy, rules, and guidelines and having a strategic vision for operations and looking to the future. There are four committees that support the board; they are the Architectural and Landscape Committee (ALC), Rules Committee, Golf Committee, and Election Committee, all of which are called for in our CC&R’s. These committees consist of homeowner volunteers who donate their time to help out the community. In going back to the city analogy, the board is similar to that of a city council.
Understandably, these roles can be confusing to homeowners when attempting to make changes or get answers. The general manager can make changes to operational issues but not to HOA policy or rules that are governed by the HOA board. Over the past year, with so many operational changes due to COVID-19, in conjunction with policy directed by the board, the lines are blurry. As we slowly return to some sense of normalcy, and with many new community members coming to PebbleCreek, I thought it was a good time to share this information. If you have any questions or need further clarification, you can always visit PebbleHelp.org to send us a question, report an issue, or provide feedback. It will get passed on to the appropriate manager for action or consideration. We are always here to help. In addition, we have a video version of our new homeowner orientation available on the website for our new homeowners, but any homeowner could benefit by taking a look at it. The video covers what I talked about in this message and much, much more. You can find it on the HOA website under PC Info, New Homeowner Resources. Please note, you must be logged in as a member to view the links or content.
As we begin the spring season this year, traditionally a time of renewal and hope, the promise of a return to how it was is definitely out there. COVID protocols continue to loosen, more people are getting vaccinated, and I hope we can begin to feel like things are going to get better. I thank you for all the support you’ve shown me and our entire team as we’ve gone through this last, very difficult year. Let’s look to a bright, fun-filled, and healthy future to live your best life here in PebbleCreek.