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March2021
Hope springs eternal. Its that time of year, and especially this year I am sure we all are hoping for some normalcy in our boating, at the club, and in our lives in general. There is some good news to buoy up our hopes. The Club has received another Covid relief PPP grant of over $35,000 which will be used to cover payroll as we hire more employees for the busy summer season. That should give us a good cushion to have a profitable summer. Thanks to V.C. Deb Strouf and Rear Commodore Joyce Rinehart for spearheading that. Deb and manager Jenn Miller have created a budget based on past performance and industry standards which was well received by the Galley Committee and the board. While dependent on the whims of Covid-19, the weather, and the buying public, it gives us a great tool to monitor our restaurant’s performance and react quickly to these whims. Also, we have negotiated way down and paid off our debt to our former accountants – thanks to Treasurer Eric Routman’s help on that.
As I have mentioned before, we need to get out of survival mode and start being proactive on building the club’s future success. Our restaurant needs to be at the forefront of a rebounding hospitality scene and we need to capitalize on our great location. In order to do that we need to get our name and brand out there and make sure our building and grounds and product are attractive to a resurging market. We are finalizing plans to work with local marketing professionals and use the support provided by our major vendor, U.S. Foods. Our gravel patio area off the deck is again washed out and needs a permanent fix that is level and attractive. We are looking at some bids for concrete as that seems the most maintenance free and doable.
We hope to see a resurgence of member activity and involvement. In spite of the small increase in dues, we have to count on members to help keep them low in the future. I hope you’ll all help us by volunteering and promoting our club. We plan to develop a project list that needs to be started very soon especially in membership retention and recruitment, finances, and clean up and remodeling, so I hope we have a great member meeting May 7. One cleanup day before Blessing of the Fleet probably will not do it. Along with the work, I hope to see more involvement again in our social activity scene. Some of our great events in addition to the Blessing in the works are a combined Cinco de Derby and May Fool’s regatta. Enjoy March Madness down at the club - there might even be a Sweet Sixteen pool or two floating around.
Ron Otto, Commodore
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