The Springs

Quorum Article - March 2006

By Guest Contributor, Pat Smith, PCAM, CCAM

The Springs occupies approximately 385 acres in a prime location in the heart of Rancho Mirage, within easy access of Palm Spring and Palm Desert.  It is across the street from Eisenhower Hospital and very close to shopping and restaurants at The River and El Paseo.  The community was built out over an 11 year period between 1974 and 1985.  The developer was Mr. Ed Johnson who also built The Club at Morningside.

The Springs community which is a PUD, has 817 homes ranging in size from approximately 2500 to over 6000 square feet.  Resale prices range from $700,000 to over $1,000,000.  Most homes are situated with golf course and mountain views and are within an easy stroll to one of the Association’s 46 pool and spa sets.  The Springs community consists of 7½ miles of streets.  It has 5 entry/exit gates, one of which is manned 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, and another is manned 18 hours per day, 7 days per week and the other three provide homeowner only access through a transmitter system.   Every home has a developer installed home alarm system which is monitored by an on-site Command Center 24/7.  Two patrol vehicles, which are on duty twenty-four hours per day, 7 days per week perform regular patrol duties, plus respond to the home alarms, when activated, within 3 minutes.  Patrol staff is trained in CPR and the use of an automatic defibrillator which the Association has in one Patrol vehicle and one in The Fitness & Activity Center, for use in advance of the arrival of professional assistance.

Within the community is also The Springs Club, a private member owned golf and tennis club which is governed by a separate Board of Governors.  There are 11 Championship tennis courts, 2 Paddle Tennis courts, The Oasis café, a 48,000 sq. ft. Clubhouse and 18 hole Desmond Muirhead designed bentgrass green golf course. 

The Association is governed by a seven member Board of Directors.  Management of the Association is in-house with Pat Smith, PCAM, CCAM General Manager, and Rhonda Drews, CCAM, PCAM as Assistant Manager.  A support staff of 12 is also in-house which includes six maintenance employees who have a combined total service at The Springs Community Association of 80 years!!

The Architectural Committee meets once a week in season and the Finance Committee meets once a month.  The other committees meet as needed.  The Association enjoys an active Events Committee chaired by the Board President, Roberta Jones, and the residents enjoy the many events and trips that are planned each season, with many being sold out quickly.  Some trips consist of a bus ride to the theater in Los Angeles or to the Reagan Library in Simi Valley.  The Board holds a “Committee Appreciation” cocktail party each year in January to which all committee members are invited and one person is given the Star Volunteer of the Year award for the past year, for “outstanding service to the community.” 

The Landscape Committee has been very active working with a Landscape Architect in developing new landscaping ideas.  To implement these new schemes, several test areas were planted in the common area flower beds which included planting more water efficient plants, rearranging and organizing plant materials and installing a drip irrigation system to these areas.

The Springs is a mature community which has addressed many aging issues over the last 20 years.  All the landscaping, lights, trees, gatehouses, and other major Association assets were upgraded in the early 1990’s.  Since 1992, the Association has been following a planned program of replacing its shake and flat roofs with funds coming from the reserves.  In 1999 all the street mailboxes were replaced without any special assessment and this resulted in an old, tired streetscape being brought up to date and gaining a new, clean appearance.

A state of the art computer controlled irrigation system has been installed this past year. A sophisticated camera surveillance system is scheduled to be installed soon at all the entry/exit gates.  These expenditures are also funded from the reserves with no special assessments to the homeowners.  A Fitness and Activity Center was built in 2002 at an approximate cost of $1,600,000 which was first approved by a majority of homeowners, who were then assessed $1,950.  The Springs homeowners love this addition to their community which offers ladies and men’s locker rooms, saunas, private training, group exercise classes, facials, massages and is a positive resale amenity.    The Center is managed by is one of the world’s leading spa, fitness, and leisure consulting and management firms, WTS International.  On site is a Fitness Director, Assistant Fitness Director and a variety of certified and licensed personal trainers, class instructors and estheticians.  The Fitness & Activity Center also occupies a multipurpose room where the Events Committee holds many special events throughout the season such as:  Holiday cocktail party, homeowner potlucks, art shows, dog shows and new homeowner cocktail parties.  Other homeowner run clubs (Garden Club, Bridge Club, Cooking Club, etc.) also use this room to meet.  Most recently, also from reserves, the Association office was remodeled which gave the staff more square footage and an enhanced working environment.  Other recent projects include the demolition of 2 gatehouses and the entry/exit areas redesigned.

Amongst other things, the Association prides itself on the relationships with its vendors.  Many vendors have worked at The Springs for over 15 years, some even 25!  These wonderful vendors are:

Sunshine Landscape, Maryanov, Madsen, Gordon & Campbell, CPA’s, Bobby Milis Painting, Inc., Petronella Roofing, Securitas, Asphalt MD’s, Powerful Pest Management, Animal Pest Management, Ealy, Hemphill, Blasdell & Oleson, Law office of Peggy Redmon, Guralnick & Gilliland, Pool Technicians, RI Stair Pool Service, Moore Maintenance and Service Master.

During my 19 years as General Manager of The Springs Community Association, I have had the honor and pleasure of working with many talented and intelligent Board members who have worked unselfishly for the betterment of the community.  They have worked and planned along the way to not only maintain The Springs as a premier property but have had the vision to provide adequate reserves and plans for the future.  The entire on-site Association staff is a unique group of people who enjoy their jobs and take pride in their individual accomplishments for the residents of The Springs.