Morningside Community Association

Quorum Article - January 2000

Morningside is a $400 million dollar community consisting of 363 luxury homes located in the heart of Rancho Mirage. The homes were carefully sited on 165 acres of extensively landscaped residential area, which surround an additional 155 acre Jack Nicklaus signature golf course. Homes range in size from 2,900 square feet to nearly 5,000 square feet with prices ranging from $595,000.00 to close to $2,000,000.00.

The development is a joint venture of Trojan Properties, Inc. and Equitable Life Assurance Society. Construction began in 1981 and the first home was sold in 1983. The final phase was completed and sold out by June of 1994.

The Club at Morningside is a private golf club and separate from the Association. It boasts a 35,000 square foot clubhouse and separate tennis club house. In the distance, the Santa Rose mountains provide a dramatic backdrop for a picture postcard view from its newly remodeled interior.

The Association provides numerous services not found in many private communities. Morningside owns its own cable television company and provides its owners with numerous premium channels. The residents enjoy a very tight security operation with electronic perimeter security, two 24 hour per day patrol vehicles, three manned gates and a state of the art Security Command Center. Each home alarm system is monitored by the Center and the alarms are maintained by Association staff. Security staff provides Akeyrunner@ services for the opening and closing of homes at the request of the owners. The Association has a contracted on site Director of Security, Mike Ludtke, whose 33 years of law enforcement provides the community with exceptional insight and supervisory ability. Lincoln Security Services provides the security services to the Club and Association.

Numerous courtesy services are offered by the Association office, such as notary services, fax, photo copying, shipping and receiving of packages and the holding of mail. They have also been know to collect that special suit from an owners home and ship it to him in another city.

All landscape maintenance is performed in house and enjoys a reputation of providing the community with award winning maintenance and design. Gerardo Ramirez is the landscape superintendent and has been at Morningside for more than a decade.. He is invaluable to Morningside. The association retains the services of landscape architect, Ron Gregory, for quarterly reviews and desired input. Morningside is known for its abundance of seasonal color, with over 10,000 flats of flowers planted each season. Each year the colors and designs go before an extensive review process resulting in an outstanding and unique delight to all.

Association monthly assessments are $775.00 and cover a wide variety of expenses. Reserves are maintained for the repair and replacement of roofs, streets, drives, cable television components, security buildings and equipment, eight common area pools and spas, and ten lakes. Each home is painted by the Association on a regular basis.

The Association is managed by Kay Ladner, CCAM, AMS, since 1991 when she was hired to facilitate the transition from developer to homeowner control. She manages a staff of forty five and oversees the security contract and services. Kay attributes the success of this premier community to a wonderfully visioned developer, outstanding and dedicated board and committee members and a management team that exceeds all expectations.