MINUTES
Park Lakes Tennis & Paddle Club
Board Meeting – March 15, 2010
Board Members Present: Marty Brown, Glen Cassella, John Catlett,
Chas Champenois, George Jackson, Jerry Neeff, Meg Richards,
Nick Roccaforte
Board Members Absent: Rose Marie Groves (vacation)
Club Members Present: Paul Grabow
Meeting was called to order by President Marty Brown at 7:10 p.m.
Minutes from the February 18, 2010 board meeting were corrected and approved.
Paddle Balls – Rose Marie Groves purchased balls that she is reselling at cost to members, mostly to women during the morning weekday hours. Glen Cassella will order a case of balls and do the same, making them available to the men and other players on weekends and evenings. There will be no balls available in the clubhouse.
Treasurer’s Report – George Jackson
- George submitted a printed treasure’s report and explained that the club’s biggest expenses are for insurance and property taxes.
- Membership update – Nearly all updates are in. Nine members have resigned, five new members have joined, six members have joined through the reciprocal agreement with the Mountain Lakes Club and twelve members have not yet responded.
- The safe deposit box at the Bank of America branch in Denville has been drilled open and found to contain only a few old documents. The annual cost for the box is $240. George will look into renting a smaller box at the Mountain Lakes branch which is where the Club’s bank account is held. Park Lakes no longer has a line of credit with BofA.
- Insurance – George is waiting for proposals from the insurance companies.
- Chas presented George will bills for shoveling and snow blowing, and from the electrician and the propane supplier.
House and Grounds
- Propane tanks – Several members reported smelling gas in the ladies room. Chas explained that it was due to a low level of gas in the propane tank 1 that supplies the restrooms. Tank 1 was recently filled, but the other were not. Chas to follow up with the supplier.
- George and Chas discussed the cost and service provided by Court Care for the clay courts. The total cost is approximately $8,750 and the company usually requires 3 days to prepare the courts for play each spring. Chas will find out the dates the company plans to come so that the membership can be notified and can see what is involved in preparing the courts. Court 5 will receive special attention this year to correct the drainage problem.
- Paddle courts – A few repairs need to be made to the paddle courts – some chips in the decking material and some loose screens. Reilly Green is the company that services the courts. The cost is generally less than $2,000. The gates are normally repaired in-house.
- Clean-up Day – Saturday, April 24 was designated as a “clean-up day” for all members. Member volunteers will be asked to assist with laying wood chips, pruning trees and making minor repairs. The hours will be 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Refreshments will be provided. Rain date is Sunday, April 25.
- Water coolers – Chas will look into switching water providers as current supplier is unreliable.
Membership
- Discussion about membership categories. Regarding Inactives, it was suggested that the category be permitted for a maximum of two years. A change to the bylaws may be needed to put this into effect.
- Guest policy and fee – It was discussed that many guests do not sign in and do not pay and that some guests play more than five times per year. It was unanimously agreed that the policy and fee should change: Guests will be permitted to play one time per year at no charge and may play a maximum of five times per year. After the first time, the fee will be $10 per visit.
Advertising
- Sign on Route 46 – George talked with owner of the Prudential building on Route 46 and asked about the Club putting a sign on the property. The owner is receptive to the idea and willing to look at a proposal. Jerry and Chas will look into the cost and design of a sign and present it to the owner. Brenco signs on Rt. 53 in Morris Plains provided the Club’s current sign.
Social Committee
- John proposed holding the annual paddle championship on either April 17 or April 24. He will check which date works best. The championship would be for members only. The “work day” may need to be moved to the other date.
- There was brief discussion about a possible paddle tournament with RRCC and a possible member-guest event.
Security System
Paul discussed the current security system and reported that it is working well. There is a battery backup system in place. A local company has been providing this service at no charge. Two additional cameras are planned to be installed. Members can view the camera images from the Park Lakes website: parklakestennis.org – choose “current views.”
Tennis Teams
- Fred Erman will be captain of the men’s tennis team. The first match is scheduled for April 24 and matches are played every Saturday.
- Heide Wolf will be captain of the women’s team. Women’s matches are played on Wednesday mornings at 10:30 a.m.
Reciprocal Agreement with the Mountain Lakes Club
- Rates – Currently the rate is 1/3 the regular Park Lakes membership dues. There was much discussion about the fairness of this to current members and it was generally agreed that the amount should be increased. The agreement was to be for two years after which both parties would reassess.
Membership Directory
- It was decided that the membership directory should be put together by volunteers and that there would be no ads this year.
- Meg will head up the directory and Jerry will work with her. Meg will ask Anne Greek, who has helped in the past, to assist this year.
- The directory will be printed and emailed to the members.
Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Meg Richards, Board Secretary
The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the Clubhouse (aka Paddle Hut.)
Board meetings are normally held on the third Thursday of the month at 7:30 p.m. in the Clubhouse. All Park Lakes members are welcome.