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FROM THE BOARD

Hello fellow DA people!
Wow, what an exciting and busy summer we had! From beautiful weather starting on Memorial Day weekend, busiest Fly-In-Breakfast at the airport in a LONG time (possibly ever), to the busiest 4th of July weekend ever with many events & music in the park, epic golf cart parade, our 2nd annual commercial fireworks show had around 3,500 people in the park alone, lots of live music events in our park, lots of golf tournaments and more play than ever and a soggy Labor Day didn’t dampen much for us hardy DA people! Our Sagebrush Senior Center is growing and attracting new members & adding more, fun events! Membership of our Men’s, Ladies and Country Clubs is also continuing to grow. We in DA are expanding on a solid foundation of traditional events and activities started years ago by other dedicated hard working DA volunteers. We thank all past and present volunteers for their time, as it takes all of us to work together to keep DA the remarkable community we love!
Since we are talking about growth, our DAOA office is busting at the seams. We are in the process of drawing up architectural plans for office space expansion to accommodate our exponentially increasing staff workload to serve DAOA most effectively now and in the future.  More details to come and feedback and community involvement will be key in this process to expand on one of our greatest physical assets in our community.
Fall is a time of reflection, slowing down some and for some residents, going south for a visit or the season. Please consider winterizing your irrigation systems, have outside and inside light timers, let your neighbors know the dates you’ll be gone so they can keep an eye out. There is also Home Watch service that can be arranged with Capstone Security. Please call our DAOA office to get the information if desired.
We always encourage volunteering, see something/say something, calling Grant County MACC (509) 762-1160 to report suspicious/ dangerous/criminal activities, emailing our security patrol at [email protected], attending committee/Board meetings and giving your feedback to [email protected].

Sincerely submitted by your DAOA Board,
Darci Ulin, Matt Yanak, Keith Savisky, Trent Cain and Ryan Wahlbrink

 

From the GENERAL MANAGER’s Desk - James Curdy

Fall barely arrived last week with the leaves turning color and this week most are all down and it looks like winter is right around the corner.  Some mornings are crisp and it reminds us that winterization is just around the corner (see Chris article for more info)
Yard Waste Days have been a bit lighter this year (168 loads), but I’m sure this still helps to keep our community cleaner.
October 24th is the last dump day this year!
Business Office

As our community continues to grow with recent activity, we are looking at Clubhouse expansion and some renovation work to improve the operations. In the last Board meeting, we shared an early drawing showing the expansion to the north which will include some parking lot modification. More to come and a special meeting and ballot is forth coming for our membership to decide.

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 all our facilities with your Member Card. If you email us an updated ACH form, you should expect a reply from the office that it was received and updated. If you do NOT please follow up just in case it was caught in a spam filter or we just missed it.
YTD property transfers are 71
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.
Desert Aire is an Animal Control area so pets must be contained to your property or on a leash at all times.
While our Business office allows you to leave your outbound UPS package to be picked up the next time they deliver to our office, we ARE NOT a UPS store so it can be multiple days before your package may leave. This is only a courtesy and not a guarantee of service.
Parks and Greenbelts
This fall and winter our maintenance team will be back out cleaning up greenbelts and noting any violations they encounter for Code Compliance.
Golf Course
The course is looking great going into fall with summer conditions still the norm and we love seeing everyone out enjoying it. We are getting ready for a fall “End of Year sale” to help with your holiday shopping and spending some of that money on the books. Finding item on Amazon and ordering it through the Proshop is also a great option to spend some of your Credit Book Money so let us help you out…it’s almost like FREE money.
The golf course is scheduled to be winterized the 2nd week of November.
REMEMBER, you can also follow us on Facebook for information and upcoming events at: Desert Aire Owners Association and/or Desert Aire Golf Course. 
If you have any questions, thoughts or ideas, stop by or send me an email [email protected]  

 

Now is the time for volunteers to join
 our committees.  Be a part of the
 important group of owners who keep Desert Aire thriving and moving
forward by giving their time.
Architecture, Communication, Finance, Parks & Recreation and Security & Safety are ready to seat you at the committee table.  Come join the fun.

 
PRO SHOP NEWS – Kyle Preston, PGA Professional
What another beautiful year we have had here at Desert Aire Golf Course. And we are not done yet! The weather continues to be nice, and the golfers keep coming out. We had a ton of great events year and most recently had the Labor Day Scramble, Harvest Hustle, and our Fall Best Ball. These events were all awesome.
 
We will be announcing a sale soon to clear out some merchandise in the shop and make room for the 2027 season. We have a ton of great stuff for golfers, and some great pieces of outerwear, hats, and thermal cups for the non-golfers. We will have from 10%-40% off and an additional 5% off if you are using gift card or credit book money. Come by and see what we got.

We know a lot of you will be taking off for the winter, so the golf staff and I want to thank everyone again for an awesome season. We are lucky to be working at such a great place, with awesome members and property owners.

It’s a little too soon to be talking about indoor golf, but we will be putting the golf simulator back in the clubhouse at some point this winter. Once this time comes, we will send out information on pricing and how to book your time.
Thank you again everyone for the great season, and if you are taking off make sure to stop by and say goodbye before you leave. See you all soon!

Golf Course SUPERINTENDENT Report – Shawn Hocking
Well, to sum it up, it has been a great year! We are finished with our events at the park and on the golf course, unless someone brings in something else. We have been a little slow completing our early fall work, like aeration, because of everything going on. It’s a good problem to have.
We have prepped for events at the park, like Labor Day, and on the golf course for events such as the Country Club Championship, the groups after the DryJect, Wahluke Fund Raiser, the two Mid-Columbia Seniors events, Fall Best Ball, the Player B, and the Harvest Hustle. With all the events just listed, we still managed to aerate and seed seven of our fairways, and our golf course tees. Fall leaf work in the park and on the golf course has begun.
At the park and on the golf course, we are considering some tree plantings if the correct varieties are available. Later, in the fall, we will use our knife type aerator on our roughs and fairways. We will also do some of our normal fall work, leveling valve boxes and sprinklers, cleaning up gravel paths, and working on sage cleanup. Very soon, we will try some new mowing patterns on the golf course, by transitioning from one hole to the next. This was a suggestion by the golf course architect that visited us last winter.

I want to give a special ‘thanks’ to all those who have provided us with lunches and goodies throughout the year. Thanks to Tom and Kathleen Claggett, all those in the Ladies and Men’s Clubs, all those in the Country Club, Darci Ulin, Gary and Sharon Bradley, Sue and Rod Jelinek, Matt and Suzanne Yanak, Glenn Lampman, Mark and Joanne Mykleburg, and all the people who have brought us snack food like summer sausage and goodies or treats for the crew. It is much appreciated! I know I have probably missed a name or two, I apologize, but please know we are grateful!
Our focus for the next couple months will be on accomplishing the fall work listed above. There is never a lack of things to do!

 

 

Watermaster Report – Chris Guillen

With the weather starting to get cool the Water Department would like to remind owners to make sure their homes are properly winterized.  Here is a list of some things to consider: 

• All hoses should be removed from all faucets, even if it is a frost free. 
• Be sure that your irrigation system has been properly drained/blown out.
• Be sure that when the irrigation is shut off the shut off valve is in the correct off position
• Be sure all vents on your home should be closed and/or sealed. 
• Shut off your water in your home if you are gone for an extended period of time to minimize any damage if there is a leak. 

 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 1,327 connections to the water system.  The total year to date gallons produced for the overall domestic water system is 257,414,087.
Conservation Tip
Use the proper water level, load size selection and water temperature when washing clothes.  Consider installing a water efficient washing machine.

Golf Committee – Kyle Patrick
Our golf course has seen a tremendous amount of play this Summer. We just finished the Mid-Columbia Men’s Tournament and now it is on to the Fall Best Ball/Chapman. Course Superintendent, Shawn Hocking and his crew have done a masterful job of maintaining the grounds during these busy times. The bunkers are filled with fresh sand, and the grass is growing strong before Winter sets in. The grounds crew has an extensive list of action items, but they are aiming high to get it all accomplished. If you see these guys at the park or on the course, please let them know what an excellent job they have been doing, and we appreciate all their hard work. Course Professional, Kyle Preston, and his staff have kept up with demands and challenges throughout this busy season. Kyle and his staff will also be having a sale with up to 25% to 30% with extra incentives to use your credit on the books.
Our committee meets monthly and monitors the progress of our golf course, with our committee members providing much needed insight and advice on the operations of our course all year.

 

The office staff provides much needed support for our endeavors. We have a 1–3-year plan that will help us guide our improvements in the coming years.
Kyle Patrick, Chair ; Dave Hartnett, Men’s Club representative; Marcia Bartlett, Ladies Club representative; and Mary Carlson, Country Club representative; Kevin Anderson, Leslie Savisky, and Suzanne Yanak, members-at-large 
Parks and recreation Committee –
Darci Ulin
Thank you to all the many volunteers & vendors who helped, donated and participated in our many Labor Day events! The weather was unusually wet so we all adjusted and made some fantastic memories together! Our Golf Cart Poker Run was a record breaker at 99 hands of poker played, new band to us; the Tamarack Ridge Band was VERY well received, first ever gift basket drawings, dog parade & costume contest complete with a custom selfie station all benefiting Safe Haven Animal Rescue was a massive hit, as were the Arts & Crafts fair as well! Another first for DA was a concert given by Shelly Bertch, her brother and friend on Sunday, what a treat!

NEXT EVENTS ARE:

1. Halloween: we are in a new partnership with Mattawa/DA Lions Club to host Trunk or Treat in the DA Park this year! Hours are 4-7pm and if you’d like to come with a “trunk” or donate candy and/or money for candy, Please contact Josh Seanard (253) 606-9506!!
2. Monday, November 2nd at 11am downstairs at the clubhouse we are partnering with Red Cross who are teaching a FREE CPR/AED/First Aid Training class! First 30 people guaranteed a spot! This is your chance to be literally trained to save someone’s life!!

Please contact our DAOA office to register! We have about 10 residents signed up and it’s not limited to DA residents! Donations to Red Cross encouraged!!

3. Turkey Trot is coming up the Saturday after Thanksgiving Nov 28th starting in the DA Park, we will be collecting donations for the Mattawa Food Bank. More details soon!
4.  Our 2027 event calendar will be out the end of November/early December to save the dates for more music and family fun events with a purpose!

 

 

Architectural Committee –
Pedro “Peter” Hernandez, Trent Cain, Mark Pierce and Chris Guillen
It has been a busy year for architectural applications. We thank all property owners who have followed the established procedures by completing the free application and submitting it for approval before beginning their projects.
Following these procedures helps avoid a violation letter and a $500.00 fine. It also prevents the property address from being included in the monthly Board meeting notes.
Please remember: “When in Doubt, Fill It Out!” If you have questions or are unsure whether an application is required, please contact the DAOA office for assistance.
On March 6, 2026, an email was sent regarding license agreements for cart paths and fire breaks. The email was intended to encourage property owners adjacent to the golf course to voluntarily complete a license agreement if a cart path, fire break, or both existed on their property without an agreement on file. Unfortunately, only two property owners completed the license agreement.
Current Status

• 188 DA properties are adjacent to the golf course, including greenbelts.

• 104 DA properties have modified greenbelts containing a cart path, a fire break, or both.

• 48 DA properties have completed and signed license agreements on file. Thank you to those property owners for completing this process.

• 56 DA properties have been identified as having a cart path, fire break, or both without a completed license agreement on file.

The 56 affected property owners are asked to contact the DAOA office to determine whether they would like to complete a license agreement or restore their property to its native landscape. Each property owner must contact the office to address the matter.
Compliance must be completed within 30 days of the date of this newsletter. Beginning on the 31st day, violation letters will be sent to the affected property owners outlining the process and potential fines.
If you need a license agreement, please contact the office at 509-932-4839 or [email protected]. We are happy to assist you with the application process and answer any questions you may have.

Security and Safety Committee (SSC) – Matt Yanak/Trent Cain
There was a focused working together session with many of the area stakeholders and below are the minutes from the meeting.
Safety and Security Stakeholders Team Meeting
October 8^th 2026
Attending representatives:
GCSD Field Operations, GCSD Animal Control, PUD Security, Capstone Security, Mattawa PD including Wahluke Patrol Officer, Mattawa Fire District 8, Sagebrush Senior Center, DA Superintendent, DA Watermaster, Safety and Security Committee Members, DA General Manager and DA Board Members.
Key discussion topics, points and next steps.
There was very good participation and group discussions with a theme of working together and continuous improvement.
There was a great deal of discussions and information sharing on calling MACC. To begin with call 911 anytime there is an emergency and if you wonder if you should or shouldn’t call 911. The call goes directly to an on-duty dispatcher.

 

As a level set at anytime there is at least 6 Sheriff Deputies on duty, 2 in each of the districts (North, East and South) understand that if Deputies are not in the area, it can take 20-60 minutes to get there. There is a cross agency working together agreement with GCSD, Mattawa PD, WA State Patrol and Fish and Game. Dispatch will evaluate the urgency and manage the engagement.
There are 3 key ways to engage MACC, Call or Text 509-762-1160 or go online and enter the information. There is a link to the MACC online form on the DAOA HOA Home Page (www.daoa.org) and you don’t have to be a HOA member to access the link. The Online form uses an AI engine and can be very quick to be dispatched. We are going to work with GCSD to do a couple simulated MACC calls and develop a quick reference guide to share and include on the home page.
When engaging MACC please be prepared to provide detailed inputs on severity, location, description of persons, vehicle and other key details like requesting a call back from a supervisor. Understanding traffic and stray animals are examples of lower priority calls and may result in delayed responses.
 Animal Control only has 2 officers for the entire county and limited space at the shelters. Aggressive animals that bite/attack people or other animals are the highest priority and may result in dispatching a Sheriff Deputy to respond to the call. During the call the responding officer will determine the risk and if the animal needs to be contained in a shelter. In addition, we were informed if there are situations where there are repeat offenders not following the leash regulations and we know the offending address, they will pay the home a visit to educate and enforce.

Noise complaints and violations, we shared our frustrations with situations with repeat offenders in the community with no enforcement even when Sheriff Deputies have responded multiple times in the same evening. Also, we shared the concern of escalation by the offenders of getting aggressive with security patrols. We are sharing the addresses of the repeat offenders and GCSD will look into it and look into improvement opportunities. The GCSD duty officer felt that when they needed to return a citation should have been written, in addition he informed us that we can and should in this case request a supervisor to call back.
The Board will also work with legal counsel to determine if we can levy fines in the property owners for repeated noise ordinance violations.
There was a great deal of discussions on the topic of golf carts and underage drivers and over capacity. We will be engaging GCSD on some of the busy weekends and they agreed to traffic emphasis patrols. The Fire Department also provided the impact they have seen as part of death and injuries associated with golf cart accidents.
Speeding, it is clear that the majority of speeders are residents of the community. Data collected on speeding in the community shows less than 2% of cars speeding over 5 miles an hour over the speed limit. We are looking into electronic signs and trailers to make people aware when they are driving at excessive speeds, in many cases it is believed that drivers are coming off Hwy 243 are not aware of how fast they are going. Set your cruise control, make others aware when you are riding with them. Also speed bumps aren’t an option, they cause issues with snowplows and the Fire Department educated they are a huge problem with firetrucks carrying water since they can damage the bladders.
As for speeding, please understand that traffic calls are a lower priority, we have a situation where a community member has flooded the Sheriff Department with many calls and others being very aggressive towards Sheriff deputies, Security Patrols and DA Employees. These interactions are not helping, they are clearly negatively impacting the working together relationships for all impacted. This was a clear message during our discussions for all involved engaged by the member.
We were made aware of security at the PUD Boat Launch, challenges and engagement processes and engagement (PUD Security Command Center 509-766-2538). 
Overall, the meeting was a huge success and will lead to improvements and building stronger relationships. The goal is to continue meeting quarterly.

 

 

Village Extras!!
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 County Club
As the 2026 season winds down, the Desert Aire Country Club Board extends heartfelt thanks to everyone who participated in this year’s events. Our goal remains simple: to foster fun, friendship, social connection, and great golf for all members of our community.  You don’t have to be a golfer to join - membership is open to everyone!
Fall Events
2026 Club Champions
In September, we celebrated our champions:

• Anders (Ace) Christenson – Men’s Club Champion

• Sharon Bradley – Ladies Club Champion

• Ed Stier – Senior Men’s Club Champion

Congratulations to our winners and to everyone who came out to play!

September also brought our new Country Club Board:  
President: Wendy Knopp
Vice- President: Patty Dorsett
Treasurer: Lori Thomas
Secretary: Amy Stevenson
They’re already planning next year’s golf tournaments and social events.  Keep an eye out for the 2027 Country Club/Ladies Club/Men’s Club Registration Form - coming soon!
We wrapped up The Harvest Hustle in early October - a beautiful day with 30 teams participating. Fun was had by all!
The final event of the year will be the Hawkvemberfest Social on Sunday, November 8th from 12:30 - 5:00 in collaboration with the Sagebrush Senior Center.  Enjoy great food, good company, and football on the big screen as the Seattle Seahawks take on the Arizona Cardinals. There’s a soup/chili and dessert contest you can enter — and best of all, there’s no charge for this event!
Thank you from all of us on the Desert Aire County Club Board!
  As we are nearing the end of 2026, we take a moment to reflect on the activities involving our local airport.  We started the year by welcoming 2 new commissioners:  Bruce Eskildson and Gale Daley who join Ken Broda to round out the Board of Commissioners.  We also have a newly appointed Airport Manager, John Doebler, rounding out the team responsible for managing the airport. 
The year started with the planning of the 2026 Fly-In Pancake Breakfast.  This year’s event was a huge success made possible by the incredible support we had from our community.  As we move further and further from the “Covid Era”, people seem to be more comfortable venturing out to these community events.  The visitors, from both near and far, and locals all came together to present and enjoy a hearty breakfast with friends and family and a display of aircraft on a picture-perfect day.
The Airport was also busy this year supporting our state and local emergency response teams.  We stand ready. in any way we can, when needed to support these critical endeavors.  This year, we had 2 instances when Life Flight/Airlift Northwest made use of the airport to respond to medical emergencies in Desert Aire.  Additionally, we supported a training exercise conducted by Airlift Northwest and our Grant County Fire District #8.  They took this opportunity to invite the community to watch and to have a chance to see, up close, the aircraft used to respond and transport patients.  Desert Aire Airport also provides a central location for Department of Natural Resources response support to wild fires.  This year’s fire season hit hard and early and we had extended days supporting DNR efforts to fight the fires all around.  They were able to refuel and get back to the fire fighting using our airport, sometimes only spending 8 minutes on the ground, saving valuable time.  With so many fires this year, some in our own neighboring communities of Schwana and Beverly, we are grateful to be able to provide this valuable resource as support. 
The Airport was also utilized several times this spring by our military for training exercises.  It is truly impressive to see the massive helicopters and their crews come and go, sometimes under the cloak of darkness. 
This year has also seen several new construction sites along the airport.  We are excited to welcome newcomers to our community and want to take this opportunity to advise that there are some specific architectural regs pertaining to Airport adjacent property in the DA Architectural requirements.  Please be sure to coordinate with the DA Architectural committee before building. 

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, Snack Shack and Golf Shop by showing your Member Card.

We would also like to remind our community that while the Airport may seem like a good place to walk, jog, bike, walk the dog, etc., it is an official airport governed by the rules and regulations of the FAA and State of Washington.  As such, only authorized persons and vehicles are allowed.  If you have any questions on what is/is not allowed, please reach out to the Airport Commissioners for clarification. 
 

 

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 3^rd Thursday of each month (except December) at 5:00 PM.
Architectural Committee - Meets the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of each month at 3:00 PM. (Except in November and December, when they meet only on the 2^nd Thursday).
Golf Committee – Meets the 1^st Wednesday of each month at 2:00 PM.
Parks and Recreation Committee – Meets the 2^nd Wednesday of each month at 2:00 PM.
Communications Committee – Meets the 2^nd Tuesday each month at 3:30 PM.
Security & Safety Committee - Meets the 2^nd Wednesday of each month at 4:00 PM
Desert Aire Airport Commissioners - Meets the 3^rd Thursday of each month at 4:00 PM.

 

 

 

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