- May 21, 2020
Dear Member
Re Court Resurface Plan for Summer 2020 and Membership Subscription Fees 2020-2021
The Committee hope you are or will soon be taking advantage of the opportunity to hit a tennis ball again, albeit in the restricted conditions currently admissible!
With the re-opening of the Club, the Committee has re-convened (via e-mail!) to discuss two immediate matters.
1.Court Resurface Plan for Summer 2020
Regrettably, the Committee has decided to postpone the work planned for this summer.
There are various reasons for this. Firstly, the Council has not yet agreed to our Lease Renewal request and the present advice is it will not be on the Council agenda until the summer. Unfortunately, the timing of our application got caught in a “perfect storm” of things that can cause delay; what should have been a straightforward decision has got bogged down especially because, in the present circumstances, the Council are only dealing with essential business at the rare virtual meetings they are currently having. Among other factors, it has also not helped that the Council are changing offices and there have been changes in key personnel. The Committee remain confident that the Lease will be renewed in due course but, without it being formally agreed, we simply should not proceed with a significant investment.
Other factors have also, of course, come into play. The Club has already been closed for 6/7 weeks this season and only Restricted Play is now possible; the alternative sources of courts we had explored for use during the period when the three courts would be closed may no longer be available in the present circumstances, and we are conscious that more members are likely to be around in July/August this year with foreign travel less likely. There is also the matter of financial prudence; while the Club’s finances remain very healthy, we need to allow for the possibility that membership income may be a bit down in this exceptional year, so it is not the best time to be making a significant investment.
So, court resurfacing will be postponed until 2021; in the meantime, the planned investigative work on Court 1 will go ahead so we get clarity on any underlying issues with that court. We will then plan for 2021.
- Membership Subscription Fees 2020-2021
The Annual Membership Fee (April 2020-2021) for all categories will be amended to a 9 month fee
The Committee believe a 9 month fee across the board is now reasonable, consistent and fair. Even though the courts have been closed for only 6/7 weeks and the courts will now be available over the summer (unless national/local circumstances force the Club to be closed again!!), it is only Restricted Play that is possible, at least for the time being. In addition, summer leagues are unlikely to happen (if they do, they will be very limited) so team play has been lost.
All annual fees are, therefore, deducted by ¼. Thus, any member who has already paid or has newly joined will receive back as a refund, ¼ of the annual fee; any returning member who has not yet rejoined or any new member now joining will pay ¾ of the annual fee. Those who have already paid will be given the option of kindly waiving their ¼ refund to assist the Club.
As you might imagine, there are some logistics to put in place to activate the above; Hayden Vokes (Treasurer) and Anne Boyce (Membership Secretary) will be in touch with you individually in due course to follow things through.
Finally, the Committee is aware that the Club AGM, usually held in April, is now overdue. Preparations are already in place for the normal business to be conducted, but we obviously need to wait until there are appropriate circumstances for a meeting to be held.
Thank you for your continued support of the Club during these exceptional times!
Kind regards
The Committee