Hello and happy 2025 DAOA members! Your Board of Directors are looking forward to serving Desert Aire this year! We held a BOD workshop last week, which was open to the public and we were pleased to have a longtime home owner attend as well. We strategically placed BOD members to areas of focus so that we can maintain and improve safety, communication, plan events, maintain and when possible improve our amenities, communicate clearly, increase engagement to better represent DAOA. We welcome your comments and feedback by attending our BOD meetings, emailing the board; [email protected]. Please consider joining our board this upcoming year by submitting your 150 words or less resume as to why you're interested, qualifications, goals to the office in person, mail or email. Thank you and we look forward to working with you! Darci Ulin, Matt Yanak, Mark Pierce, Keith Savisky, and Steve Nuce
From the GENERAL MANAGER’s Desk - James Curdy With a new year comes renewed energies and hope…that said I can’t believe it’s 2025. We have many volunteers involved with a number of projects but we can always use more. Key committees for our community are; Architectural, Communications, Golf, Parks & Rec and Safety Security. Let us know if one of these is of interest to join. Website use continues to grow We currently have 800 members with online account access and over 2,000 public users. Our goal is for this to be a place for information and answers as it is ever evolving. On the home page of our website (Grey bar at top) is a link for reporting problems to the County. IE. Dogs at large, burglary or suspicious person, etc. The online report works very well and you can request deputy contact too. The Architectural Committee and Code Compliance have spent much time working with members to help get violations cleared up before they go to fines. They’re success rate is over 99% so in my mind they are doing a great job!
Annual SPRING CLEANUP, is planned for Friday, April 25th at 9:00am. Come help clean up our community and get a free pair of Desert Aire Logo Leather gloves. Volunteers will be provided with bags and afterwards, a coupon to dump personal garbage a day early instead of waiting in line Saturday or Sunday.Once again, we will NOT be accepting appliances, furniture or tires. On Saturday 4/26 we will have the SHRED TRUCK in from (9:00—12:00 noon) at the Visitor Center in the Entrance Park by the Big Chair.
REMINDERS 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 cans securely out of sight on non-dump days. Tired of carrying cash when you go out? MEMBER CHARGING is an option for those on AUTOPAY! If your account has been current AND you sign up for auto pay …you can charge at both the Pool and Golf Shop by showing your Member Card. Landlords, I would encourage you to be sure your Rental Agreements include language that requires your tenants maintain compliance with all Desert Aire regulations. A couple of members have had great difficulty and expense dealing with bad renters and it may have been eliminated by this simple addition. As always consult your attorney for your particular situation. Dog complaints have been around since the mid 70’s and while the county did away with Dog Licenses, the animal control ordinance still applies and FINES are part of the enforcement in Desert Aire. PARKS & GREENBELTS- We will be installing additional parking lot lighting this winter along with new parking curbs. Greenbelt cleanup has been progressing well with the crews working in areas not attended in recent years. While doing this they have discovered some violations which are being addressed by Code Compliance. EXERCISE FACILITY This facility has an all-time high membership this year. A new treadmill is on order and should be delivered in early February. GOLF COURSE With the exceptionally mild weather conditions have been good. Annual memberships are coming in a little slower for some categories but YTD for them is only down $1,610. REMEMBER, you can also follow us on Facebook for information and upcoming events at: Desert Aire Owners Association and/or Desert Aire Golf and Country Club As always please be sure your email and phone number are current with our office by calling or updating them through the website portal. If you have any questions, thoughts or ideas, stop by, call or send me an email to [email protected] EMAIL; when you add or update your email with us, be sure to tell us what lists you want to be on. Home Owners (if applicable), Renters, Golfer, Tournament Golfer or all.
Watermaster Report – Chris Guillen We had a member cut our lock off of a meter last month.This is classified as a tampering violation in the water policy and carries a $500 fine + parts+ labor. We had to shut down 12 homes to facilitate the repair for the damage done. The water was shut down for 45 minutes for the repair and the service is back to its original configuration.
If you are gone for an extended period of time the Water Department can shut off you water at the meter for $5.00, this will not stop pipes from breaking but it will not flood your home. Just as a reminder, the water policy effective August 1st 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 1,320 connections to the water system. The total year to date gallons produced for the overall domestic water system is 1,605,402.
Fourth of July Fireworks
Thank you for the pledges towards the Desert Aire Professional 4th of July Fireworks Show. Because of your commitment to building community we are now moving forward with Pyro Spectacular to provide an amazing show. We are currently at $13,245 and we will provide a contract and 50 percent of our deposit on this date. The larger the donations, the greater the show. We would love to have donations by February but are open to accepting them until summer. Below are two options to provide your donations for the LLC bank account. 1. Write a check to: DA Fireworks Fund Mail or hand deliver to: Desert Aire Office- C/O DA Fireworks Fund 504 Clubhouse Way
Desert Aire, WA 99349 2. Venmo address -image link at bottom of email You must include the last 4 digits when requested by prompt - 7483 to guarantee the correct account as Venmo will not help with accidental account deposits. If you have any questions, you may email [email protected] We are looking forward to an amazing show! Here are our amazing sponsors!
PRO SHOP NEWS – Kyle Preston, PGA Professional We are finally starting to see the sun! The winter was a little more overcast than we wanted, but we are starting to see better days and the course is looking great! We have wrapped up 2024 and that marked my first full year as the Head Professional here at Desert Aire Golf Course. I want to express how much fun I have had over the last year getting to know everyone and look forward to many more years here. I did send out a survey covering several topics of the Golf Operation for 2024. I have received a lot of feedback and appreciate everyone who took the time to give that feedback. I will be taking all this feedback into consideration as we start to prepare for the 2025 season. This has given me a good guideline for how we can do better this year and continue to increase the enjoyment of members and guests here at Desert Aire Golf Course. We have our 2025 tournament schedule on the website and the golf calendar. When you look there you may notice something new. We are going to start hosting a Desert Aire Member/Guest event this year, and hopefully for many years to come. I am working on getting all the details of that set up and will be sending out an informational email here in early February. If you have played in any Member/Guest events before and have any suggestions or ideas, please send me an email at [email protected]. We will start to get some new gear and apparel in March, but we have already received some nice new apparel from Swannie’s and Sun Mountain. We also got TITLEIST golf balls in and will continue to carry those in the future. I hope everyone has had a fantastic winter, and we look forward to seeing you out on the golf course soon! Golf Course SUPERINTENDENT Report – Shawn Hocking Happy New Year! This winter has certainly been mild, wet, and snowless, which has made it a nice winter to get a good quantity of work completed. On the GC, with this mild weather, it has definitely forced us to continue doing a certain amount of maintenance. This has included mowing greens, rotating pins, and moving tee markers. Besides these tasks, we have worked very little on the GC since mid-December. In addition to the maintenance, we did get the new steel doors and automated locks installed for the front nine restrooms, and they seem to be functioning very well. In December, we started working on our greenbelt cleanup project. Using just our crew, we have been working through the areas designated for this winter’s cleanup. My assessment is that we will complete all of the intended areas by the end February, with the weather’s cooperation. Also, thanks to all who have allowed us access through their property; it has made us more efficient getting closer to the work. Currently, we are replacing the mainline at the airport. It has been our top priority since the airport has been closed for the work. We will be pushing to complete the project as soon as possible, so it can reopen. A big thank you to all who provided meals and goodies for the crew through the last few months! It is an encouragement to the crew and much appreciated.
Golf Committee—Kyle Patrick I’d like to take this opportunity to provide the Desert Aire community with an update on the events and highlights from the past year. Firstly, I would like to thank Rich Hartnett and Deb Sciascia for their patience, wisdom, and dedication in their years of service on the Golf Committee. Secondly, we have added two new members to the team, Suzanne Yanak and Leslie Savisky. The Golf committee has seen many accomplishments over the past year. The installation of the monuments was a long overdue money-saving triumph. This was a long process started by former chairman, Paul Meredith and carried on by current DAOA Board Member and Golf Committee Representative, Matt Yanak. The monuments on each hole are appealing and a long-lasting addition that will attract advertising from the local community and beyond. Thanks to all involved in the process. You might have seen some small additions around the course over the last year that include new ball washers, benches, sand bins, rakes and many other small improvements to make our course more enjoyable. We have also procured a proper beverage cart that will be stocked with snacks and drinks on the course this Spring. A new locking system for our bathrooms is in the process of being installed that will make it easier and safer for all involved. Gravel paths are being added, and we hope to repair cart paths and add shade trees. You might also see some changes in the driving range. I met with our Course Superintendent, Shawn.Hocking and Golf Pro, Kyle Preston, and we were able to put together a one-year plan and beyond to focus our priorities as we move into 2025. Look for some big changes in the coming years that will continue to make our course unrivaled in Central Washington.
Security and Safety Committee –Steve Nuce The Safety & Security Committee invites the Desert Aire homeowners to attend the 2/12/25 meeting at 5:00p at the Club House. Updates with the Security program, Firewise, and Transportation plan on speed circles and trail paths. Come and be part of the process.
Communication Committee—Darci Ulin We continue to update the DAOA website with information and meeting minutes to provide other sources of information 24/7 This committee is also looking for members. We meet the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 3:30 pm in the Clubhouse lobby. IMPORTANT DATES: All meetings (held via Zoom, 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 3rd Thursday of each month (except December) at 6:00 PM. Architectural Committee - Meets the 2nd and 4th Thursday of each month at 3:00 PM. (Except in November and December, when they meet only on the 2nd Thursday). Golf Committee – Meets the 1st Wednesday of each month at 3:00 PM. Parks and Recreation Committee – Meets the 1st Wednesday of each month at 5:00 PM. Communications Committee – Meets the 2nd Tuesday each month at 3:30 PM. Security & Safety Committee - Meets the 2nd Wednesday of each month at 5:00 PM Desert Aire Airport Commissioners - Meets the 3rd Thursday of each month at 4:00 PM.
Lots of activities are going on at Desert Aire. This new feature highlights these going-ons that are of interest to our owners.
Desert Aire Country Club is ready for 2025. We will have several fun golf events as well as some social events that aren’t just for golfers this season. We will be bringing back Top Golf…. DA Style. This is a great family event that any age can participate. Great for kids! Look for a brand-new golf event “Draft Day” coming in September. If you would like to join its $25 per year and you will receive a reduced rate to all our events. Everyone is welcome so come on out and meet new people and join in the fun. To kick off the season we will be having a St. Patrick’s Day Celebration on Sunday, March 16th. Details to follow. Everybody is welcome and its free! It always has great food and fun prizes. SAVE THE DATE: Jack Rabbit Co-Ed Golf Tournament (2 person) May 17th & 18th 2025 The tournament includes two days of golf, catered lunch, prizes & much more. Grab your partner and get ready for two days of fun. Please note that the dinner has changed to lunch. Calendar of Events will be posted at the pro shop and correspondence will be emailed to members.
By the time this comes out, the airport should be back open after repairs to irrigation lines on airport property. Desert Aire Airport is looking good but will be looking for volunteers to help with improvement projects this spring. The Airport District commissioners implemented a “Thru-the-Fence” lease agreement for airport adjacent property owners this year as required by the State of Washington during our last audit. The lease allows airport property owners access to the publicly used airport from their private properties. We are happy to say that the response from the adjacent properties has been positive with 25 signed agreements and another 8-10 still outstanding. MARK YOUR CALENDARS: The Annual Fly-in and Pancake Breakfast has been scheduled for Saturday, June 14th. We hope to see a great turn out and have a lot of planes flying in/parked for all to see (weather depending of course). Rumor has it that there might be some airport swag for sale. Look for more info on the Desert Aire Airport Facebook page and through the Desert Aire Airport website . Bob Trantina has stepped down from Airport Commissioner position #3 but will continue (temporarily) as the airport manager. Thank you, Bob and Joyce, for all that you’ve done. Now we need to fill position #3 on the Airport Board. If you are interested in helping keep our airport looking and operating as it does, join us as an Airport Commissioner. To be eligible to serve on the Board you must reside within the airport district boundaries. Please email [email protected] if you have questions or would like to know more about the position. Wahluke School District News HAPPY NEW YEAR! This February, the Wahluke School District will be asking voters to approve a three-year capital levy focused on improving safety across the district and completing payment for our elementary school HVAC renovation costs. More specifically, the levy will replace 30+ year-old Fire & Security Systems at Mattawa Elementary, Saddle Mountain Elementary, Morris Schott Elementary and Wahluke Junior High. In addition, it will complete payment for the HVAC project at Mattawa Elementary (remaining cost: $2.2 million). This capital levy is designed to address only our most urgent facilities needs at a lower rate than previously proposed in last year's capital levy. By focusing only on replacing our Safety & Security Systems and paying off the HVAC project, we've been able to lower the rate and duration of this levy. This proposed levy rate is $0.75 per $1,000 of assessed property value for three years versus last year’s levy was estimated to be $0.99 per $1,000 of assessed value for over four years. If the voters approve this levy, it will be a tremendous lifeline for some much needed support to our WSD facilities & operations. While we’ve been able to leverage state, federal, and grant dollars whenever possible and have cut nearly 40 staff positions over the last 2 school years, these levy dollars are vital to maintaining our facilities. We are so grateful to be part of such a vibrant and supportive community. Together, we will continue to build a strong foundation for our children’s education and success. Wishing you all an outstanding 2025!