Tuesday, January 21, 2020

Internet News, Mouse Update, Balloon Glow Info

(From Gary Lambert, Palm Creek Operations Manager)

Palm Creek Residents,

This morning (Tuesday, January 21), I received the following communication from Dish:

I wanted to reach out today concerning the internet performance at Palm Creek. We are actively working on a solution that will allow for better performance and more bandwidth at Palm Creek. Unfortunately, I do not currently have a timeline for resolution to the ongoing slowdowns during peak hours. I know that this is frustrating and time consuming for you and your staff and we have made it a top priority here at DISH.

I have been talking with Dish Management multiple times per week since we started having slowdowns, and I now have a written response. For the last 3 or 4 years, we have had very stable performance from the internet system here at Palm Creek. We did make some adjustments to the system over the past summer to accommodate additional connections due to the increase in available sites. However, what has hit us hard is the explosive growth in internet utilization. While the number of connections to the internet at Palm Creek are similar to last year, the usage has increased between 20% and 30% overall, depending on how you look at the data. This is resulting in slowdowns, particularly between 6pm and Midnight as video streaming has become more popular. Unfortunately, Industry lead times for increased bandwidth and such are measured in weeks, not days, so it is not a quick fix. I apologize for that, but it is the reality we are up against.

If you are experiencing slowdowns, especially in the evenings, please do not put in a service ticket for that. It is a known problem. Doing so just ties up the technicians on a call that they cannot do much about. If it is not working at all, or you are having TV problems, then by all means put in a ticket. We are still encountering residents who have the old Motorola modems (The small black ones from a few years ago). Upgrading the modem to the state of the art will improve your situation as they are much more sophisticated and are able to handle the increased traffic much better. I have had many of you tell me that the new modem made a big difference in the system performance. If you want to schedule a modem upgrade, put in a service ticket with that request, and a good phone number so that the Technicians can set up a time with you to get it done.

I have spoken to many of you, and I understand the frustration. I live here too, and it affects me as much as it does you. We are already starting the conversation about what we need to do over the summer to be ready for the surge next season, but that does not help us much now. We here at Palm Creek appreciate everyone’s patience as we work through this. I will post additional information once I get it. In the meantime, you are welcome to drop by my office or send an email to Glambert@suncommunities.com. I do forward those communications to Dish, so you are being heard.

Thanks!

Gary     

Gary Lambert
Operations Manager
Palm Creek Golf & RV Resort, a Sun Community
1110 N Henness Road | Casa Grande, AZ  85122
Phone: (520) 371-5829  |  Fax:  (520) 876-8962


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Ohhhhh..............it is soooo good to have our Mouse home again!!  No scars or bruises that we can see but he had a layer or two of dust to dispose of and he was HUNGRY.   He needed rest too so after eating and washing up, he took a long nap in a secure place.  He always wants to sleep on our clothes instead of his cat bed.  I think he feels safe and comfortable that way.





I texted our son Anton to keep him up to date.  It's always amusing to get a text from him.  Here's what he wrote when Mouse was found:
"I bet he's got a new tattoo, couple of scars and some trashy girlfriend named Brenda who's into dirt bikes.  There's no living with him now.  He's seen too much."
Anton also attached a cartoon:


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Just a reminder that the big Welcome Back party is being held in Palm Park this Friday, January 24.  No tickets are needed as lunch will be served from one of your favorite food trucks (12 trucks to choose from).  Event starts at 11:00.  NO BYOB as the park has a liquor license for the day and drinks will be available from the booze wagon.  😉

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From John Ross, Leader of the Balloon Glow Event on January 31.

Hi Sue,

I am hoping you can include some info on your blog site. to get the word out that we are once again going to be tethering during the Balloon Glow on Friday , January 31st beginning at 6:30PM.  The fee is once again $20 per person , with all monies going to our Cancer Awareness goal.

Of especially important news is that we will once again be offering discounted balloon rides the following morning (Saturday February 1st).  Instead of my normal fee of $190 per person, that morning they can get a discounted fee of $150 per person - saving $40.

 Again,  all fees go directly to our Cancer Awareness Center efforts.

They need to sign up in the Activities Center for Balloon rides, and they can also sign up in advance for the tethers. Those folks who are on the list will be taken up first, with walk-ups accepted that evening. But, they will have to wait until we get the sign up list paired down.

Finally,  the Golf Pro Shop is running the "Golf Balls from Heaven "  fundraiser again and we will assist with the ball. drop upon departing Saturday morning.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with the glow and the Saturday morning flights. Signup sheets are also in the Activities Center if they choose to do so.

If anyone has questions, most answers can be had at the Activities Center, but they can always contact me at site #433.