Communique from the Board : Rockcliffe Lawn Tennis Club : Ottawa, Ontario

Communique from the Board

April 2, 2009

Dear RLTC Members:

Recently, there have been some members who have been seeking additional information regarding the Board’s decision to increase fees by a substantial amount and to add a one- time levy in order to undertake the needed clay court reconstruction this fall. The Board has not taken this decision lightly. Indeed, we have gone to some effort to discuss this matter with the members starting last year, including at the 2008 Annual General Meeting. In addition, we sought the advice of a specially-appointed task force constituted with members who had a solid understanding of the Club. We need to bolster our efforts to communicate the key factors that led to the Board’s decision. At the same time, we hope to dispel some misinformation that has recently been brought to our attention.

Your current Board welcomes all viewpoints on the running of the Club and tries very hard to make it as pleasant an environment as possible. Constructive comments are part of continuous improvement. We are certain that former Board members were possessed with the same desire and acted with the same spirit within the context they inherited and the challenges the Club was facing.

In the last few years, the neighborhood in general has been acquiring a new face in the sense that younger families have been moving in with new needs and wants. The RLTC provides an important recreational service, albeit private, to our extended community, a community that ranges from long-established members of the Club to more recent members who joined the RLTC because of the activities offered for their children of various ages, a welcoming social atmosphere, well-maintained tennis courts and grounds, and a tennis environment that is dynamic and enjoyable. As your Board keeps an ear to the ground to reconcile various demands, it must also ensure that there be a balance among voices, some more silent than others but probably as important if not more critical to the survival and thriving of the Club.

As the neighborhood community is changing so must the Club. This costs money. Let’s give a few examples:

Clubhouse renovations. The 2006-2007 Board embarked on renovations for a simple reason: if city inspectors had visited the Clubhouse, it would have been closed on the spot. Electricity standards and kitchen sanitation were ample reasons. Then, there was the floor, the roof, and the bathrooms that were in dire need of restoration. The total bill would have been infinitely higher if not for a generous donor who provided thousands of dollars in materials. In addition, a number of Board members, their spouses, and their friends did cleaning, floor carpet laying, etc. The 2007-2008 Board replaced the worn out asphalt shingled roof with a sturdy new metal roof and added insulation to the roof to reduce heat buildup in the Clubhouse during hot summer afternoons.

Clay court maintenance. There are wide-ranging standards among our members. Someone who plays occasionally may not notice very much whether the courts were freshly swept, whether clay was added at all during the season, whether branches were piercing through the fence, whether grass was growing around but inside of the courts, etc. However, when a few years ago we pledged to our members that we would have the best clay courts and grounds in Ottawa, all of the above had to be reexamined. The staff is now sweeping the courts twice a day, clay is being added on a monthly basis during the summer to make the courts softer and more enjoyable to play on, the physical environment of the courts is well-maintained, etc. The result is that the clay courts are now widely regarded as the best maintained courts in Ottawa. We have not heard anybody say that they wanted less.

Grounds Upgrading & Maintenance. Last season, in response to the growing number of members with young families, we added a “Juniors Park” play area to the unused land strip along the west side of the Club. This included a gazebo for the very active Junior program – which doubles as a storage shed in winter - a swing set and climber, a mini soccer field and a pair of outdoor ping pong tables. The response, both from the kids as well as their parents was immediate. Funding for this was completely donated by generous members and local business people. Because of the expanded grounds area and the wet summer, it became necessary to contract some of the regular grounds maintenance such as grass cutting, tree and hedge trimming, weed cutting and leaf blowing and collection to an outside contractor when the workload clearly became excessive for the regular student staff.

Social activities. First of all, a big thank you to the individuals and families who contribute in so many ways to social events by giving time and donating food, including those items from The Moulin de Provence and Jacobson’s. They represent the soul of what our community/club is all about. Second, last year was really the first year where social events took off with the Tuesday night BBQs accompanied by the Alfredsson exhibition and others. There have been discussions within the Board as to whether the Sweet Spot Café merchandise and beverages should be priced to make a profit or should simply be a service. At this point, they have been primarily priced to be a service. This policy has traditionally been reviewed annually and we try to take in account all viewpoints. Other events that have existed for many years such as the Lunch Program and the Annual Social are not seen primarily as core revenue sources but always make a bit of money.

Employment expenses. The Board decided in early 2008 to hire a professional manager who would be committed to the strengthening of members’ services and provide strong financial management. The wage expenses for clubhouse staff were increased to reflect longer coverage during the day and increased coverage during evenings where there were many members. Also, roughly $6,000 of the increase in wage expenses reflected the Board decision to pay standard deductions for clubhouse staff including 4% vacation pay (as required by law).

Club Manager. Some rumors have circulated about the contract duration and conditions of our professional manager. Vera Cody has a seven-month contract. She has accepted to provide essential services during the winter such as weekly mail pickup, bill payments, ads, spring and junior camp program revisions, new membership forms, website updates, etc. on an hourly basis. With the exception of two recent summers where we had a university student as manager, her 2008 total insurable salary from the Club was considerably less than the two previous managers.

Members want Boards to be accountable and this is the way it should be. As mentioned before, previous Boards did their best and undoubtedly, members in general were well served in spite of contentious issues and disagreements by some. We have received a few comments asking the question why previous Boards had not put a reserve aside for renovations that were predictable. In all fairness, each Board has tried to do exactly that but the following year there was a new unexpected expenditure to siphon off the small contingency savings. No one wishes water costs and taxes to go higher or unexpected contingencies to arise. The reality is that they do.

There was a very open and transparent discussion of the needed court improvements at the November 2008 AGM. Financial statements are public documents and were made available to members. The January Communiqué that can still be read on the website explains fully the steps that were taken to reach the conclusion that we arrived at. We have spent a great deal of time examining the various options. In the end, we concluded that over the last many years, membership dues were not sufficient to meet recurrent financial obligations and at the same time, build a hefty reserve for anticipated major upgrades of the courts. That is why we, as a Board, have unanimously decided to substantially increase membership dues and to ask for a one-time levy. There is no solace in mentioning that the 1995 Board went through a similar process when hydro-blend courts were built. It was not a more popular decision then than it is today, but the alternative was worse.

We thank you for your continued support and hope that this further clarifies the situation.

Yours truly,

RLTC Board

			Communique from the Board April 2, 2009 Dear RLTC Members: Recently, there have been some members who have been seeking additional information regarding the Board’s decision to increase fees by a substantial amount and to add a one- time levy in order to undertake the needed clay court reconstruction this fall. The Board has not taken this decision lightly. Indeed, we have gone to some effort to discuss this matter with the members starting last year, including at the 2008 Annual General Meeting. In addition, we sought the advice of a specially-appointed task force constituted with members who had a solid understanding of the Club. We need to bolster our efforts to communicate the key factors that led to the Board’s decision. At the same time, we hope to dispel some misinformation that has recently been brought to our attention. Your current Board welcomes all viewpoints on the running of the Club and tries very hard to make it as pleasant an environment as possible. Constructive comments are part of continuous improvement. We are certain that former Board members were possessed with the same desire and acted with the same spirit within the context they inherited and the challenges the Club was facing. In the last few years, the neighborhood in general has been acquiring a new face in the sense that younger families have been moving in with new needs and wants. The RLTC provides an important recreational service, albeit private, to our extended community, a community that ranges from long-established members of the Club to more recent members who joined the RLTC because of the activities offered for their children of various ages, a welcoming social atmosphere, well-maintained tennis courts and grounds, and a tennis environment that is dynamic and enjoyable. As your Board keeps an ear to the ground to reconcile various demands, it must also ensure that there be a balance among voices, some more silent than others but probably as important if not more critical to the survival and thriving of the Club. As the neighborhood community is changing so must the Club. This costs money. Let’s give a few examples: Clubhouse renovations. The 2006-2007 Board embarked on renovations for a simple reason: if city inspectors had visited the Clubhouse, it would have been closed on the spot. Electricity standards and kitchen sanitation were ample reasons. Then, there was the floor, the roof, and the bathrooms that were in dire need of restoration. The total bill would have been infinitely higher if not for a generous donor who provided thousands of dollars in materials. In addition, a number of Board members, their spouses, and their friends did cleaning, floor carpet laying, etc. The 2007-2008 Board replaced the worn out asphalt shingled roof with a sturdy new metal roof and added insulation to the roof to reduce heat buildup in the Clubhouse during hot summer afternoons. Clay court maintenance. There are wide-ranging standards among our members. Someone who plays occasionally may not notice very much whether the courts were freshly swept, whether clay was added at all during the season, whether branches were piercing through the fence, whether grass was growing around but inside of the courts, etc. However, when a few years ago we pledged to our members that we would have the best clay courts and grounds in Ottawa, all of the above had to be reexamined. The staff is now sweeping the courts twice a day, clay is being added on a monthly basis during the summer to make the courts softer and more enjoyable to play on, the physical environment of the courts is well-maintained, etc. The result is that the clay courts are now widely regarded as the best maintained courts in Ottawa. We have not heard anybody say that they wanted less. Grounds Upgrading & Maintenance. Last season, in response to the growing number of members with young families, we added a “Juniors Park” play area to the unused land strip along the west side of the Club. This included a gazebo for the very active Junior program – which doubles as a storage shed in winter - a swing set and climber, a mini soccer field and a pair of outdoor ping pong tables. The response, both from the kids as well as their parents was immediate. Funding for this was completely donated by generous members and local business people. Because of the expanded grounds area and the wet summer, it became necessary to contract some of the regular grounds maintenance such as grass cutting, tree and hedge trimming, weed cutting and leaf blowing and collection to an outside contractor when the workload clearly became excessive for the regular student staff. Social activities. First of all, a big thank you to the individuals and families who contribute in so many ways to social events by giving time and donating food, including those items from The Moulin de Provence and Jacobson’s. They represent the soul of what our community/club is all about. Second, last year was really the first year where social events took off with the Tuesday night BBQs accompanied by the Alfredsson exhibition and others. There have been discussions within the Board as to whether the Sweet Spot Café merchandise and beverages should be priced to make a profit or should simply be a service. At this point, they have been primarily priced to be a service. This policy has traditionally been reviewed annually and we try to take in account all viewpoints. Other events that have existed for many years such as the Lunch Program and the Annual Social are not seen primarily as core revenue sources but always make a bit of money. Employment expenses. The Board decided in early 2008 to hire a professional manager who would be committed to the strengthening of members’ services and provide strong financial management. The wage expenses for clubhouse staff were increased to reflect longer coverage during the day and increased coverage during evenings where there were many members. Also, roughly $6,000 of the increase in wage expenses reflected the Board decision to pay standard deductions for clubhouse staff including 4% vacation pay (as required by law). Club Manager. Some rumors have circulated about the contract duration and conditions of our professional manager. Vera Cody has a seven-month contract. She has accepted to provide essential services during the winter such as weekly mail pickup, bill payments, ads, spring and junior camp program revisions, new membership forms, website updates, etc. on an hourly basis. With the exception of two recent summers where we had a university student as manager, her 2008 total insurable salary from the Club was considerably less than the two previous managers. Members want Boards to be accountable and this is the way it should be. As mentioned before, previous Boards did their best and undoubtedly, members in general were well served in spite of contentious issues and disagreements by some. We have received a few comments asking the question why previous Boards had not put a reserve aside for renovations that were predictable. In all fairness, each Board has tried to do exactly that but the following year there was a new unexpected expenditure to siphon off the small contingency savings. No one wishes water costs and taxes to go higher or unexpected contingencies to arise. The reality is that they do. There was a very open and transparent discussion of the needed court improvements at the November 2008 AGM. Financial statements are public documents and were made available to members. The January Communiqué that can still be read on the website explains fully the steps that were taken to reach the conclusion that we arrived at. We have spent a great deal of time examining the various options. In the end, we concluded that over the last many years, membership dues were not sufficient to meet recurrent financial obligations and at the same time, build a hefty reserve for anticipated major upgrades of the courts. That is why we, as a Board, have unanimously decided to substantially increase membership dues and to ask for a one-time levy. There is no solace in mentioning that the 1995 Board went through a similar process when hydro-blend courts were built. It was not a more popular decision then than it is today, but the alternative was worse. We thank you for your continued support and hope that this further clarifies the situation. Yours truly, RLTC Board

	March 11, 2010