FROM THE BOARD Dear DAOA homeowners, We, your Board, continue to work to convey the issues facing our community and how we are addressing them. The two legal actions brought against DAOA have both been resolved positively, with no loss of DAOA land. The two parties with legal threats towards DAOA Board and Management are being dealt with currently to protect our community's best interests. Security is an ongoing and evolving concern for our community. We are working closely with Port of Quincy Security, Mattawa police and Grant County Sheriffs office through our DAOA Management and our Safety and Security committee to minimize vandalism, attempted car break ins, gang activity in DA, home and building security . We continue to encourage neighbors watching out for each other, reporting suspicious activity to MACC! As reported by the SSC and the Port of Quincy Security, our crime rates are lower than in our surrounding region. We will be voting on continuing our partnership with Port of Quincy Security on our upcoming Annual Ballot, clarifying our governing documents, and our next proposed fiscal year's Budget. This proposed budget reflects maintenance priorities which are ongoing and ideally proactive. Many thanks to our Treasurer, Keith Savisky, our General Manager, James Curdy and Vice-President, Matt Yanak for their many hours spent to create this proposed Budget! We always looking forward to hearing from you via emails to the Board, attending our DAOA Board meetings and in our interactions in DA! We use social media to communicate events and announcements but not as a communication platform. Please continue to share your feedback, get involved and VOTE on our Annual Meeting ballot! Your DAOA Board, Darci Ulin, Matt Yanak, Mark Pierce, Keith Savisky, and Steve Nuce
From the GENERAL MANAGER’s Desk - James Curdy PLEASE BAG YOUR GARBAGE before putting it in your cans. When the wind blows it ends up all over the street and in your neighbors’ yards. Member cards – we now have a number of cards that are very old and need updated. If your kids have grown this is a necessity for pool access this season. Also, we will resume the original policy of 3 days’ notice to update your Registered Guest lists. This means Wednesday 3pm for the upcoming weekend. FAQ/DYK-I’m a new owner…with a VRBO/short-term rental house and I want my guests to have access to the pool, what are my options? I can use my personal member card but the guest list can only be updated 1x/week with 3 days’ notice. Or I can buy a rental house card for $200 that has a $50/year fee and no Registered Guest Lists are required. Annual SPRING CLEANUP Friday, April 25th went well with 30 Members and 10 students coming out to help clean up our community. Afterwards, 10 volunteers used their early dump pass to dump personal garbage (Friday) instead of waiting in line Saturday or Sunday. This year we added appliances back in and the steel bins were completely full. Saturday morning the SHRED EVENT in the Lobby was well utilized from (9-12) with 26 members filling all 5 containers. Code Compliance and the Architectural committee continue to work on Common area encroachments to protect Association property. These are members using this community asset as their personal property (without a license agreement). 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. Garbage Service is available through Waste Management of Ellensburg at (800) 572-4559. Roll out service is a good option for non-full-time residents. *Please remember to store your can securely out of sight on non-dump days. The Riverview Café formerly the Snack Shack will “not be open” early on this year because we have not been successful finding a manager with catering experience for larger events! We are currently using food trucks and it is working well for now.
REMINDER- Dog complaints have been around since the mid 70’s and while the county has done away with Dog Licenses, the animal control ordinance still applies and FINES are part of the enforcement in Desert Aire. We do not have the qualified staff or facilities to handle this issue and since we are under Grant County jurisdiction, we must include the sheriff to handle them. Reportingshould be done at: 800-431-9911 or 911 if an emergency.
PARKS & GREENBELTS- Volunteers are being sought for 4th of July Park Events which includes a big professional fireworks display. The sign-up sheet will be in the office soon. EXERCISE FACILITY- We just replaced another treadmill and a few smaller items. As we plan for next year, if any users have a suggestion, please email the office. GOLF COURSE-The golf course looks good coming out of winter and it has been busier than ever. (See Kyle and Shawn’s articles for more info).
REMEMBER, you can also follow us on Facebook for information and upcoming events at: Desert Aire Owners Association and/or Desert Aire Golf Course. As always please be sure your email and phone number are current with our office by calling or you can update them ONLINE through the website portal. Call or email the office if you need help. If you have any questions, thoughts or ideas, stop by, call or send me an email to [email protected] .
Watermaster Report – Chris Guillen
We have been working to replace the water main on Vance Lane. This work is upgrading the now 2-inch main to a 4-inch main. The project will include digging in the new main and hooking up all the services form the old main. All the testing for pressure and bacteriological samples have been good. The next cul-de-sac on the schedule for 2026 is Fowler Lane. We have completed the annual Evergreen Rural Water conference. These conferences help keep us up to date on new information in water works as well as getting credits to keep up certifications.
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 1,322 connections to the water system. The total year to date gallons produced for the overall domestic water system is 29,720,209.
POOL—With the pool season getting ready to start next month, here are a few reminders for the upcoming season.
PRO SHOP NEWS – Kyle Preston, PGA Professional The weather is turning around, and we have seen some busy weekends lately. We did just aerify our greens on April 7th-10th but we expect them to bounce back quickly. We had the Spring Best Ball which was full with 120 players. 77 outside players, and 43 members. We have the signups out for the Member/Guest, both Junior Camps, and The Jack Rabbit currently. The Member/Guest is a new event with a unique format, so if you have any questions about it please feel free to email me or stop by the shop to chat. I continue to receive new gear and rearrange the shop. Some new items include Desert Aire Logo towels and Head Covers. Most of the clubs are in, and we will get new apparel periodically throughout the year. We have clubs from PING, TAYLORMADE, CALLAWAY, SRIXON, and XXIO. Come by and try out some new gear! We look forward to seeing more and more members arrive back from their winter vacations, and we hope to see you all out there soon. Golf Course SUPERINTENDENT Report – Shawn Hocking The Spring work is upon us, but I sure wish the spring days would warm up a little more, although I may get that wish answered this week. Overall, the last month has been very busy. A couple of the days were dedicated to First Aid Training for DA employees. I think it is very beneficial to the crew, Desert Aire, and to people who visit. Last week we aerated both greens and tees on the golf course. Even though it was a lot to accomplish in three days, I know it will be valuable in reducing the healing time to those surfaces, and it will allow us to move onto other maintenance and projects. Besides our regular maintenance, we have been trying to finish a few lingering projects that include some landscaping at the Desert Aire Entrance and working on the rabbits. Projects to come will be at the park for lighting and another a shade cloth near the pool area. Other work that we have completed or working on involve painting markers, poles, table and chairs, etc…the list doesn’t seem to get any smaller! Parks and Recreation Committee—Darci Ulin We are happy to let everyone know we are planning fun events this summer and would like to expand the number of events we have each summer, but we need more volunteers to do so. An idea was brought up about putting in a small Amphitheatre in the park. This Amphitheatre could support all kinds of events including movie nights in the park as well as bands and other events. We have a full schedule of events this summer including the Memorial Day weekend Golf Cart Poker Run, 4th of July fireworks and other events on that weekend and events on Labor Day weekend. We would really like more people to participate in the planning of events. Anyone with input please come to our meetings on the first Wednesday of each month at 5pm. We are hard at work getting ready for our events season amongst other projects in the weight room, Parks & Rec building, fundraising for more music in the park, helping clean up the community during the Spring clean Up!! Memorial Day Golf Cart Poker Run-Saturday May 24th details SOON! July 4th & 5th—two days of super fun events! Friday are Kids Games in morning, *attending the Sagebrush Golf Cart Parade starts at 4pm but line up begins early & they have fun food too, food trucks in the park in the afternoon/evening, 3 on 3 tournament about 6pm, and the grassroots community fundraising of the COMMERCIAL FIREWORKS in the driving range! 50/50/ raffle both days too! July 5th—cornhole tournament, food trucks are back in the afternoon and then the Highway 18 band begins at 9pm in the park! Labor Day weekend- more 3 on 3 basketball, cornhole tournaments with some potential other games and live music to be determined! Come join our committee or offer to volunteer for our events! Golf Committee—Kyle Patrick Last winter was unusually mild, and as a result the course is shaping up beautifully this Spring. Course superintendent Shawn Hocking and his crew have been working hard to maintain Desert Aire as one of the premier golf courses in Central Washington. Course Pro Kyle Preston has the shop stocked with merchandise and is gearing up for a busy tournament season. The Golf committee plays a key role in deciding how funds from the Golf Improvement Fund are spent to enhance the course. Over the past year many small improvements have been added such as rakes, sand bins, grass seed, ball washers, directional signage and tee markers. Larger investments this year include a new beverage cart and upgraded security doors and automated locks for our restrooms. The Golf Committee consists of volunteers who meet monthly and are committed to the ongoing improvement of our Desert Aire Golf Course. Kyle Patrick, Chair; Wendy Knopp, Secretary and Country Club representative; Dave Hartnett, Men’s Club representative; Marcia Bartlett, Ladies Club representative; Kevin Anderson, Leslie Savisky, Suzanne Yanak, at-large Security and Safety Committee –Steve Nuce The Security & Safety Committee (SSC) meets the second Wednesday of every month at 5:00 pm at the club house. Everyone is welcome. We discuss updates of our Security Patrol. There are encounters and changes in the ongoing issues with gangs that have encroached into our community. The Security Patrol has made significant gains against these gangs. Continued patrols are greatly needed. See something, saying something and know your neighbor are also included in the discussions. Please attend the SSC and let your voices be heard. The Security Patrol program is working well. The Port of Quincy Security Co., Grant County Sheriff Dept., and the Mattawa Police Dept are communicating and working in unison. The $10.00 per month has been an accurate amount to cover the expense of the program. The cost of the program was only exceeded by a total of $16.00. It is my opinion that the Safety Patrol is a needed program. Please consider and vote for the program on the yearly ballot. We need to be involved in the safety and security of our community. Communication Committee—Darci Ulin
Our committee is growing with the additions of Mike and Patti Kane! We are in the process of updating the DAOA website to be the true source of all DAOA documents, official events, Board & committee meeting minutes, and events calendar! We are happy to have the talents of Jesenia Rodriguez to help us translate documents into Spanish, push official DAOA emails & communications with interesting graphics! We’re grateful to have her on our DAOA office team and committee!
Beginning in June, the NW Regional Library will be at the Desert Aire Park in Desert Aire from 2:00-3:00 p.m. on the 1st and 3rd Monday of the month.
Tennis courts look great and ready to go
Food trucks are working well so far this season.
Fortunately we don't have this serious a problem with graffiti, perhaps thanks to alert residents and the extra patrols making our community less inviting for this activity.
Country Club Happenings We had a great turn out for our St. Patrick’s Day Celebration. Thank you to the Sagebrush Senior Center for allowing us to hold it in their facility. Lots of yummy desserts and great main dishes. Bread was awesome too! Winners: Amanda Melvard -Colcannon Cowder, Cathy Sahli- Beer Bread, Peggy Ellefson for her Baileys Brownies and Irish Jeopardy was won by Mark Myckleburg. Thank you to all that came and hope you all had a great time. Save the Date: 2-Day Jack Rabbit Co-Ed Tournament (2 Person) May 17 & May 18th, 2025, Shotgun start 9:00 A.M. This is always a fun event. This includes tee prizes, two days of golf, lunch at the Sagebrush Senior Center and much more! We will be hosting the Horserace on Friday June 20th. This is 2-person team 9-Hole Scotch Ball format. Teams are computer picked based on handicaps. Keep your eyes peeled for more information on our next events during the summer -Twilight Scramble, Top Golf DA…. Style Golf and anew tournament in September- Draft Day. We have a Calendar posted outside the Pro Shop and in the stairwell. Country Club would like to give a big thanks to Kyle Preston and his team for supporting us on all the events. Also, a big shout out to Shawn and his crew for keeping our course in great shape. The course is beautiful. Join the Country Club for only $25 per year and you will receive a reduced rate at our events. Come on out and meet some new people and join the fun!! From the Airport Commissioners: Desert Aire Airport District is happy to announce that Gary Grosso has accepted the position of Commissioner #3. We are grateful for his willingness to volunteer and appreciate his interest in keeping the airport the viable community amenity that is has always been. We have implemented a Residential Thru The Fence Lease Agreement (RTTF) with airport lot owners who have adjacent access to the airport. This lease is required by state law and we are pleased to have 25 of 32 adjacent lot owners with signed leases on file. With our upcoming audit in May, this will demonstrate our effort to be compliant with state law. Our annual Pancake Breakfast Fly-In will be held on Saturday, June 14th this year. As the date approaches, we will be looking for volunteers to help as well as asking for raffle basket donations. The pancake breakfast will be held in the same hangar as last year, at 119 Airport Way SW. This is a great opportunity to see a variety of airplanes, vintage, military, and sport aircraft. Get up close, look inside the planes, and talk with the pilots. It is sure to inspire any potential future pilots in our community! As an exciting addition, this year we will have a variety of items for purchase with our new airport logo. Thank you to Gale and Megan with Wind River Creations for their hard work and creativity. Also, from Airport Manager Bob: Hello everyone. Spring is finally here and I’ve identified May 3rd as a North Taxiway repair day (weather permitting, meaning no rain). If you are in town and so inclined, I’m looking for a few volunteers (4 or 5) to assist with the crack patching and sealing. I’m thinking that 8am-11am should be enough time to do what needs to be done. If you can assist, please give me a call (206 713 2254) and let me know. Thanks in advance for your help.