|
Although the weather forecast was calling for a near rain out, Mother Nature must be a sailor as she held off the rain for the vast majority of the outdoor portion of the work party allowing the standard fall checklist items to be completed including docks, chairs, tables, awnings and even some in depth stump grinding. Thank you again to all who contributed soups and other items for our lunch and to all the ladies in the kitchen who had it all ready for us to all enjoy. I had more bowls of soup than I’d like to admit!
Maybe it was the weather forecast or maybe other contributing factors but the turnout at the work party was disappointingly low, with some long-time members commenting that it was the lowest turnout they have ever seen at a work party. Regardless of the weather, the work must get done and as a member run club it takes contributions from all members to be successful. I appreciate the hardy souls that turned out and we were able to get the minimum work necessary completed to close out the club for the winter but extra hands would have helped. Many clubs have requirements for volunteer hours with a buyout option and while we haven’t needed to do this in the past, we are now considering something similar for our club. This was discussed positively at the membership meeting and will be discussed further during the winter Board Meeting. While your dues and fees support the operation of the club (rent, utilities, insurance, etc.) it’s the hard work of the members that keeps the club going strong and looking good.
The Fall Membership Meeting was held in the clubhouse and it went smoothly. A new slate of Officers and Board of Directors was elected. The Officers are all remaining in their positions and all of the Board Members are remaining except that Gene Soriano has replaced Ross Cummings as Board Member and Race Liaison. Thanks again to Sue Valitsky and her team for their hard work as the nominating committee.
The big announcement at the meeting was regarding the club house roof. We have accepted a quote for installation of a metal roof on the clubhouse including new soffit, fascia, and gutters with work expected to begin as early as January, weather permitting. While this was expected to be a big expense and fully deplete (and then some) our maintenance budget, we have gotten agreement from Pymatuning State Park to fully cover the cost of the roof though a rent rebate for 2024. This will be a huge help to the club and allow us to redirect some of those maintenance funds to other needed projects (garage, lean-to shed, etc.) which had been put on hold pending the roof purchase.
There was some additional discussion regarding the Brian Bish memorial gazebo and I appointed a committee comprised of Michelle Bish, Lori Gallagher, and Dave Porter to come up with several different gazebo/pavilion options as well as several different locations to be presented at the Spring meeting where the membership will vote on the best options for the club with construction in 2024. If you have any input or a passion for gazebo design and sourcing, get a hold of one of the committee members for further discussion.
Overall, it was another great sailing season at PCC. Remember that the club is open year-round and there are hors d’oeuvre parties the first Saturday of every month at 5PM (in the winter) to get together with fellow club members and collectively count the days until the Spring Work Party.
Bill Gray
PCC President
| 
