Notes from the President:
It’s been quite a year. Many changes have taken place. The cell towers are finally in. The facility landscaping has been upgraded considerably. We’ve put in an irrigation system to protect that investment. We have more parking. The green space should be ready for multiple activities in the spring. Phase three, which includes two new tennis courts and development of the green space, is under planning. The meeting may have a short presentation on proposed court surfaces. It’s a great time to be a member at LNSRC.
I can’t say enough about the level of service and support provided by your board members. It has been a real pleasure to work with them. Continuing along that line, our nominating committee has done a stellar job of presenting our club with excellent candidates to continue the work.
Your board has also been busy working to move our club into an organization run professionally by process rather that the force of an individual’s personality. We have made some real progress in that area.
We need your help. The annual meeting could be “blown off” easily because we enjoy a time when there is a respite from some of the past tensions. There is an action that the board strongly feels should be undertaken by the membership. It has to do with two “corrections” to the by-laws. Without your proxy, we may not be able to pass these amendments.
One proposal is really just a housekeeping change. According to parliamentary law, if the date of assumption of office is not stated, it is determined to be immediately following the election. We want the membership to allow us to add to the bylaws that the terms run with the calendar year. That allows for a lame duck period between the election and the assumption of office that we intend to use to bring new board members up to speed on current issues and the usual board processes. In the past, too often, we have left each new board to relearn lessons on their own. As a result, they spend the first year making decisions that have already been considered by prior boards.
Regarding the other proposed amendment, the board is requested to return initiation fees by several members each year. Some feel that it is a “deposit.” It is not. Most clubs have no provision at all for the return of an initiation fee. Come to the annual meeting and find out what a bargain membership really is when compared to other facilities in the area.
Other members think that with the additional funds from the cell towers, the club can easily afford to make refunds to “all comers.” They may be unaware that as of the last financial report, the funds show clearly that past fees have been used for regular operations during the 20 plus year history of the club.
Were we to ease the refunding of initiation fees, it would be in violation of the founder’s intent and could, in a short time, force the sale of the club’s assets. The short answer is that, in accordance with the by-laws, even as they exist, it happens infrequently that a refund can be made.
The way the by-laws are stated could be clearer. We are asking the club membership to amend them. It is really more of a correction. Over the past year, we’ve talked with many of those who drafted and amended the by-laws over the years. The section that would be changed essentially reinserts the words “and maintained” into the bylaws. Your board has researched the history and has determined that those words were in the original change draft but were omitted for some unknown reason during revision. Please see the Notice of Proposal.
In the final analysis, it has been duly considered, for the best interest of all the members and the club’s future health, that we make these “corrections.” We need to reach a majority (at least 51%) to accomplish this task. Please take the time to turn in your proxy or attend the annual meeting. Your vote may be the one that makes or breaks this effort.
You board has worked diligently over the past year to increase the services and make our club and even greater value. Find a way to become involved in helping.