Executive Committee Meeting Minutes

 

A regular meeting of the Executive Committee was held, via Zoom, on Tuesday evening, September 14, 2021. The meeting was called to order at 7:02 p.m. by Sara Casassa.

 

Present: Sara Casassa – President, Alan Lewis – Vice President, Craig Seymour – Treasurer, Mary Ellen Morse -Secretary, Erik Browning, Tiffany McCann, Reggie Hall, Katie Johnson, Sarah Holmes, Laura Schwartz and Jeff Ristau – Manager

 

Secretary’s Report – Mary Ellen Morse

 

A motion was made to approve the August Executive Committee meeting minutes.  The minutes were unanimously approved and will be posted on the website.

 

Treasurer’s Report – Craig Seymour

 

  • Craig Seymour presented the Financial Report to the Executive Committee.
  • The Club saw a significant increase in revenue from the snack bar and functions in August.
  • Expenses to date have been within budget to date.
  • The Club’s financial state is back to “normal” (e.g., year-to-year comparison reports of August show August revenues were nearly identical to those of August 2019).
  • Expenses are higher this year compared to 2020 and 2019. Payroll has increased 5% over 2020 and 20% over 2019. Taxes, insurance and utilities have also increased. Operations, maintenance and function expenses are lower than previous years.
  • Jodi Mari, our new bookkeeper, has now taken over for Kathy Johnson. Jodi now has full access to the bank accounts. All officers now have signature approvals for the three Bangor Savings Bank accounts.
  • Craig answered questions from the EC and the Financial Report was accepted unanimously.

 

Manager’s Report – Jeff Ristau

 

  • Jeff has begun working on end of season work to be completed.
  • The pool has been turned down to the upper 70’s at night. Unless he is told otherwise, Jeff will continue to turn down the pool heater at night.
  • Staffing lifeguarding positions through Labor Day continue to be an issue. Despite Nicole and Mike Jolly’s connections to the local swim community, we are unable to secure additional guards. Staffing the kitchen through the remainder of the season was also problematic though the Club was able to avoid significant disruptions in the snack bar operating hours.
  • The Club was fortunate to avoid damage from the high waves generated by tropical storm, Henri.
  • Jeff is scheduling end of season maintenance work.
  • Preparations for the closing cocktail party are underway. Much like the opening cocktail party, set up for the party will be outside to avoid overcrowding inside.
  • Jeff has begun preparations for the dinner with the Church representatives on Tuesday the 21st.
  • The head counter has been installed and running since mid-August.
  • Jeff will assess the lunch kitchen frozen food items that we have left, either looking to sell them or hold on to them for the opening next season.

 

Membership – Sarah Holmes

 

  • As of September 13th, the membership counts are as follows:

279 total units

92 single

89 spousal

98 family

655 total members

  • Updates have been made to bills to adjust for those who have experienced a status change (e.g., single to married).
  • One person has been added to the regular waitlist.
  • Two applications for the regular waitlist are pending (upon receipt of sponsor letters).
  • Sarah has received nine new inquiries for membership.
  • The EC discussed hiring an individual, at the cost of approximately $1K, to digitize the information for the membership database. The EC unanimously agreed to hire someone at that price.

 

Swim – Erik Browning

  • The swim season concluded with the annual swim team banquet. The banquet was well attended.
  • The Club continues to face challenges staffing lifeguard positions. This season, most lifeguards were attending college out of state and unable to work through Labor Day. The EC discussed implementing an incentive structure for next year to ensure sufficient coverage through Labor Day.
  • We received positive feedback on Mike Jolly this season. Preliminary indication is that he will return next season.

Social – Tiffany McCann

 

  • Social events have been completed for the season with the exception of the closing cocktail party.
  • The annual Water Carnival was well attended, and members expressed satisfaction with the event. Due to weather, sand sculpture was canceled.
  • Approximately 60 people attended the Labor Day event. Feedback has been very positive, and members seemed to enjoy the music and festive atmosphere.
  • Robert Thomas from Heronfield Academy performed at the Labor Day party. The Club has asked him to come back and play some music nights next summer.

 

Facilities – Laura Schwartz

  • Estimates will be obtained for repairing emerging ridges on the decking, replacing locker windows, patching/repointing the fireplace and masonry on ramp to the beach and installing new windows in the bubble area of the clubhouse.
  • Extra umbrellas and chairs for the main deck will need to be purchased.
  • The EC discussed updating cushions and other décor in the clubhouse as it is dated. It was suggested that we look at The View at Pepperrell Cove for inspiration.
  • The carpet in the north lockers will need to be replaced prior to next season.

Long Range Planning – Reggie Hall

  • Reggie has begun charting a schedule for grant applications to help pay for fees associated implementing resilience practices at the Club (e.g., elevating the club house).
  • Applications for the NH Land & Community Heritage Investment Program are typically due in the summer months with awards available in January. Reggie will conform LCHIP proceeds could be used to cover the costs of elevating the historic structure. To apply, we will need to have a full estimate of the cost for the work as well as any renderings that depict the change.
  • To start the estimate process, we will need to hire a surveyor to produce an elevation certificate.
  • NHDES has a Coastal Resilience Grant Round that mirrors the LCHIP process. These grant awards of $10K-40K can be used to cover the planning, elevation certificate, etc.
  • If the Club plans to rely, in whole or in part, on grants to fund resiliency work, we need to apply for the CRG grant in year one and then apply to the LCHIP funds in year two (i.e., if we planned to break ground in January of 2024, we would need to submit our application to CRG next year).
  • Reggie suggested the Club paying for the elevation certificate and preliminary work in order to save one year in the timeline. The EC unanimously agreed.
  • Reggie met with Carpentier Construction who specialize in lifting buildings to obtain a quote to elevate the clubhouse. Tentative estimates are more than $1 million dollars. They will be back in the fall when the deck is being worked on so they can get under the building.

Technology – Katie Johnson

  • Katie is working with Stoutheart to implement ACH payments with Stripe. Stoutheart has not provided a date by which this would be complete.
  • Katie will begin working on setting up the annual satisfaction survey. EC members will provide Katie with feedback regarding questions, including, but not limited to the addition or deletion of questions.

Other

  • Katie inquired as to the whereabouts of the robotic pool vacuum. Jeff will confirm it is still functioning so it can be used next season.
  • Katie noted that sunscreen and oils are leaving a black film around the pool and on the pool tiles and suggested the lifeguards periodically wash the tiles as they have in the past.

New Business

 

  • The EC discussed correspondence from members requesting the operating hours of the pool be extended for 18+ lap swimmers until the end of the season. Sara noted that the Club’s Water Hazard Endorsement may not provide coverage for those swimmers. Discussions focused on the benefits of extending pool hours given the brevity of the season while mitigating risk. The EC voted 9:1 to extend pool hours provided that swimmers sign a waiver disclaiming any liability and indemnifying the Club for any injury/damages that occur while swimming.
  • The EC further discussed whether the pool should remain heated during the extended hours. Jeff provided estimates of propane costs associated with heating the pool for the additional hours. The EC voted to continue heating the pool subject to Jeff’s discretion.

 

Old Business

  • The EC discussed a request for reconsideration of a membership application. The EC unanimously agreed that the application was reviewed by a prior EC in accordance with Club policies. Consequentially, there was no basis upon which to re-open the application.
  • The EC did discuss the formation of a sub-committee to examine current admissions policies. EC members agreed a sub-committee would be formed and tasked with identifying policies and practices from similarly situated clubs and amending current Club policies if needed. Sara will be heading the sub-committee and will be inviting members not on the EC to join.
  • The EC discussed formation of a sub-committee to review guest policies in response to the annual survey. The sub-committee will be tasked with soliciting feedback from the membership related to guests, identifying policies at similarly situated clubs and amending current policies, if needed.

.

A motion to adjourn regular meeting was made by Craig and seconded by Reggie.

Meeting adjourned 9:05 pm.

 

Next Executive Committee meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, October 12, 2021at

7:00.

 

Minutes respectfully submitted by Mary Ellen Morse, Secretary.