February March April May June September October
Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—February 8, 2017
Home of Craig Piercy
7:30pm
In attendance:
Claire Slabaugh, Craig Piercy, Kristin McNavage, Joe Callicott, Joe Matal, Brian Herberger, Tony Higgins, Matthew Babcock, Cathy Stocker, Meredith Hammond, Chuck Montrie.
A quorum was present.
Meeting was called to order at 7:40pm
Introductions were made of all new and returning board members.
Craig Piercy proposed a motion to approve the following slate of officers:
Claire Slabaugh, President Craig Piercy, Vice President Steve Volkers, Treasurer Joe Matal, Secretary
John Crupi made a second to the motion.
The Board approved the slate of new officers by unanimous consent.
Craig Piercy proposed a motion that the board “Honor Greg Wang’s authority as Treasurer until such time as the new Treasurer takes over”
Matthew Babcock made a second to the motion.
The Board approved the motion by unanimous consent.
Claire Slabaugh made a motion to “Approve the Schedule of Standard Motions for 2017”, which this year include the following material changes:
- Motion 1.4: Members with unpaid late fees will not have access to the pool or tennis courts until all such late fees are
- Motion 3.5: Clarification that Emeritus Members’ guest passes do not roll over to the subsequent
- Motion 14: Increase of late fees to $150 and a reinstatement fee of $250
John Crupi made a second to the motion
The Board approved the motion by unanimous consent.
The Board decided on the following committee appointments:
Joe Callicott will remain in charge of the Safety Committee, and will also be in charge of Operations.
Matthew Babcock will remain in charge of Tennis
Brian Herberger, a new Board member, will be in charge of the newly created Communications Committee. Brian will also serve as the Community Liaison.
Tony Higgins, a new board member, will be in charge of Building & Grounds.
Meredith Hammond, a new board member, will be in charge of the Social Committee.
It was noted that the share price of a new membership in LFSC is $3,000, as approved by the full membership a year ago.
Discussion of dues: it was noted that if a late fee is not paid, pool and tennis privileges will be suspended even if fees have otherwise been paid.
Cathy Stocker’s pool rebuild update
The Board reviewed and discussed colors for the pool tiles.
The builder reports that the County has indicated that it will insist on three separate water fountains at the pool, in addition to that attached to the pool house. The Board agreed to verify whether the County imposes such a requirement.
Bids to refurbish the bathhouse will be received tomorrow (February 9). NV Blue will do the pergola, additional lighting, and electricity for speakers and related work, but has indicated that it does not have the capacity to perform the other work while it is still building the pool.
The Board discussed what type of ground covering to choose for areas adjacent to the pool house. It was generally agreed that flagstone looks nice, but is too expensive and tends to get hot. A consensus seemed to emerge that a highly-quality concrete would be best, but no final decision was made.
The contractor will face challenges connecting the plumbing for the newly planned family bathroom—the location of the drainage pipe is uncertain.
Financing: the loan will close in 30 days; a bridge loan of up to $250,000 will be available at 4.5%.
LFSC will need to readjust its insurance based on the value of the new pool.
The Board will need to hire a new accounting firm; the current firm, only recently hired, has indicated that it wants to terminate the relationship.
Board went into Executive Session.
Meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe Matal, Secretary
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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—March 8, 2017
Home of Claire Slabaugh
7:30pm
In attendance:
Claire Slabaugh, Steve Volkers, Kristin McNavage, Joe Matal, Brian Herberger, Tony Higgins, John Crupi, Cathy Stocker, Meredith Hammond, Chuck Montrie.
A quorum was present.
Meeting was called to order at 7:40pm
Update on status of pool membership
The pool currently still has 8 “SLUP” members (senior limited use pass). (This program was terminated over a decade ago—current SLUPs are grandfathered in.) LFSC also has 11 inactive members, and 28 associate members. So far, only 7 people are set to come off the waitlist, but more openings are expected.
LFSC will offer 30 Extended Season Guest Passes this year. They will be offered first to household immediately adjoining the pool, and then to End of Summer (August) members per the waitlist.
Update on bathhouse renovations
Because of the limited timeframe, only one bid came in to renovate the bathhouse, and it came in at $450,000—which is $300,000 over budget. The renovations committee therefore decided to delay this project until next year.
This year, LFSC will spend $70,000 on renovation of outdoor areas and fixtures around the poolhouse. The committee will seek bids and consider acquiring or adding cedar pergola, stamped concrete, interior painting, dry-rot repair, replacement of the roof shingles, a new concession standard, freezer, and fridge—and custom penguin pool tiles.
Update on the budget
The Board considered and approved a budget presented by Treasurer Steve Volkers.
The new pool will have 30% more water, and thus will have somewhat greater operating costs. It will need a minimum of four life guards this year, which means a 20% increase in guard costs. LFSC’s total net income is projected to be $46,000. (It was $82,000 last year.)
Pool management contract
Board went into Executive Session, and approved the pool-management contract of Chuck Montrie, as well as $5 million in E&O insurance.
Meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe Matal, Secretary
_____________________________________________
Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—April 5, 2017
Home of Brian Herberger
7:30pm
In attendance:
Claire Slabaugh, Craig Pearcy, Steve Volkers, Kristin McNavage, Joe Matal, Brian Herberger, Tony Higgins, John Crupi, Cathy Stocker, Meredith Hammond, Joe Calicott, Chuck Montrie, Terri Tomlin.
A quorum was present.
Meeting was called to order at 7:42 pm
Update on status of pool membership from Kristen
LFSC has invited 26 families to full membership, and 17 on the wailist have been offered associate membership. Four senior emeritus members have terminated their membership. There are currently 234 people on the waitlist—the person waiting the longest has been waiting for nearly 10 years, since October 2007.
Update on pool renovation from Cathy Stocker
The loan has closed. It is a $950,000 loan, with a $50,000 line of credit. LFSC has now paid off its bridge loan.
The landscaping and pool construction and are on schedule and moving forward.
The penguin tiles have been installed.
NV Blue, the pool contractor, has won the bid to do the pool house work, which mostly consists of adding a new roof and painting the interior and exterior of the building.
We will need to add a railing around the planned deck for safety reasons.
There will be a water feature in the baby pool (water pumped into buckets).
Update on the budget from Steve Volkers
Steve provided a summary of the pool construction costs and balance sheet. The pool has $9,000 left unallocated.
Need a bookkeeper
LFSC is looking for a bookkeeper to manage the club’s finances. The job would require about 6 hours of work per week during the pool season.
Security update from John Crupi
The new pool will have a cloud-based security system that employs 5 cameras.
Meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe Matal, Secretary
_______________________________________________
Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—May 10, 2017
Home of Kristin McNavage
7:00pm
In attendance:
Claire Slabaugh, Craig Pearcy, Steve Volkers (by phone), Kristin McNavage, Joe Matal, Brian Herberger, Tony Higgins, Cathy Stocker, Meredith Hammond, Joe Calicott, and Chuck Montrie.
A quorum was present.
Meeting was called to order at 7:38 pm after the Board toured the renovated pool.
Claire announced that the pool will open on schedule. In light of the recent trespass incident at the pool, the Board discussed the need for a new security system. The Board also discussed the need for new sheds, an awning over the concessions stand, and a new grill. The Board approved a motion to purchase all of these items.
The Board also discussed the need to remove dead trees from the property.
Update on status of pool membership from Kristen
LFSC will extend offers for full season guest membership to 30 households, and end-of-season guest membership to 50 households.
The Board approved a motion to increase the cost of the full season guest membership by $40 to $900.
Kristin interviewed a potential bookkeeper. The Board agreed that Claire has the authority to hire a candidate.
Communications
Brian Herberger discussed updating the LFSC website and the possibility of reactivating the pool’s twitter account.
Staffing
Chuck reported that the pool is fully staffed—it will employ about 20 life guards this season. Chuck noted that the pool inspection would be that Friday (May 12).
The Board discussed the need to supervise the front office staff to ensure that they are doing their jobs rather than socializing. The Board also discussed the need for Board members to support the guards with respect to imposing discipline on children who ignore pool rules. Finally, the Board discussed the opening night party for the pool.
Meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe Matal, Secretary
Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—June 14, 2017
At the pool
7:30pm
In attendance:
Claire Slabaugh, Craig Pearcy, Meredith Hammond, Matthew Babcock, Steve Volkers, Joe Matal, Brian Herberger, Tony Higgins, and Chuck Montrie.
A quorum was present.
Facilities update. Bollard lights will be installed at the far side of the pool. An awning has now been installed over the concessions stand. The Board discussed the need to deal with the wet, swampy grass on the far side of the pool, and the difficulties that water walkers have using the new configuration of the pool.
The Board discussed the early-summer pool trespassing incident.
Membership. This season 37 families have accepted full season guest membership, and we have 52 end-of-season guests. About 10-15 of these families have children who are on the swim team.
The Board adopted by unanimous consent a motion to limit the full-season guest passes offered to adjoining and abutting neighbors to those who are owners (rather than just renters) of the adjoining and abutting houses.
Renovations and improvements. The Board discussed a request by CLC members to have new plants added to fill gaps on the berm behind the pool. The Board also discussed, but declined to pursue, further bathroom renovation, which would cost an estimated $318,000. It was noted that new sheds will be built soon. Finally, the Board discussed the need for an additional trash dumpster and recycling container.
The Board discussed the fact that the county is employing a new pool inspector who has jurisdiction over our pool and who is very strict—he recently temporarily shut down Mohican’s pool for various routine violations.
Budget. Steve Volkers reported that the pool’s budget looks healthy. The Board discussed charging a $5 flat fee for all guest passes.
Meeting was adjourned.
Respectfully submitted,
Joe Matal, Secretary
Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—September 13, 2017
In attendance:
Claire Slabaugh, Linda Karson, bookkeeper, Craig Piercy, Brian Herberger, Chuck Montrie (Bethesda Aquatics), Steve Volkers, Kristin McNavage, Meredith Hammond, Cathy Stocker (construction ‘supervisor’ and previous Boardmember), John Crupi and Tony Higgins
Under discussion- overall good season, no safety concerns, general feedback from membership was positive with some helpful suggestions regarding landscaping ideas, bike rack, and communication.
Alarm is on currently 24 hrs. a day.
New mailbox has been installed with corrected number on it. It turns out that our old street address was incorrect and we were forced to change to the corrected address.
We have an administrative phone number that the bookkeeper will answer in addition to our usual ‘summer-only’ phone number that rings at the lifeguard’s ‘desk’. This number will remain the same.
The Board voted on whether or not Pineapple Landscaping should be able to park the trucks in the parking lot overnight. There was a lengthy discussion about the pros and cons of this arrangement; however, eventually, it was decided that our noise ordinances would prohibit this arrangement.
Chuck Montrie (Bethesda Aquatics) brought up an issue with horseplay in and around the pool between the hours of 8:45pm-9:30pm by lifeguards and teenagers. The Board made a decision about how to address this so that the guards especially understand the consequences.
Construction update:
Our pool service company has been very difficult to communicate with especially when dealing with the pool cover. They were supposed to deliver the cover several weeks ago. Chuck has researched other pool companies and all of them are over-booked and are unable to take on an additional pool. Because the pool cover is so late, they are going to give us a discount on the baby pool cover. There are locks that need to be repaired on the gates (they are currently working but need additional repairs). Landscape company is working on getting signs up that are required by the Forest Conservation Plan. They were supposed to complete the path around the eating area. We need to work on the drainage by Glen Cove Parkway inside the fence where water is draining off of the cement ‘deck’ and pooling on the grass which then becomes mud. A french drain is an option as well as raised decking or artificial turf.
A review ensued from our Treasurer of the current budget in preparation for an internal audit. The Board discussed the possibility of upgrading the bathhouse in one year (new floor, new stall doors, paint, etc.) and the decision was made to put our additional money (in the form of the credit line we can take out) into improving the drainage behind the diving board.
Lengthy discussion by the Board was made about the waitlist. The current waitlist is at about 280 people and many people on the list must wait up to 10 years. Approximately ⅓ of the waitlist members who finally receive an offer for membership refuse it because their children are grown and they are no longer are interested in using the pool. The Board discussed options such as changing the borders of the neighborhood for all new applicants to the waitlist so that there are not as many houses that may apply for membership. We also discussed the possibility of dropping the ‘point system’ for new applicants because it is complicated and makes it difficult for those who have been on the waitlist for some time to then be ‘bumped further down the list’ when someone applies who lives closer to the pool. It was concluded that no major decisions will be made at this time obviously, but there will be another Membership Study done (similar to the one completed in 2004) to look at some of these issues and ways to reduce the waitlist time. Linda Karson, bookkeeper, also brought up suggestions for how the other pools in the area have no waitlists or very short waitlists when they also have restrictions from the county on the number of actual ‘membership families’.
Meeting was adjourned.
Submitted by Kristin McNavage
Minutes from October 11, 2017 Board Meeting
In attendance: Claire Slabaugh, Craig Piercy, Joe Calicott, Brian Herberger, Steve Volkers, Linda Karson (bookkeeper), Kristin McNavage, Meredith Hammond, and John Crupi.
Motion was made and seconded to approve September 2017 board meeting minutes.
President’s Update:
* New pool covers have been installed; next week water will be turned off, chemically treated, etc.
* Leak has been found in baby pool…will likely fix problem now before winter. Contrary to our plan, the play structure was removed from the baby pool but leak was present before that occurred.
* Gate near the front entrance has been fixed but possibly not adequately…may require additional work. Contract for the work was paid in full.
* Learned that our 30K bond for forest preservation cannot be refunded to us for two years to ensure that we remain in compliance. Suggestion made that we should track this and remind them when the two years is complete.
Discussion of board nominations for next year. Must have 9 candidates on the ballot. Nancy LaVigne is the nominating chair…board members should recommend possible candidates to Nancy. Craig and Matthew will not be running for re-election.
After hours personnel issue discussed at the last meeting was successfully resolved by Chuck Montrie and Claire.
Brian Herberger advised that the Community Liaison meeting that occurred two weeks ago was successful. He will post the minutes of that meeting on the website.
Linda made suggestion regarding contacting members who will likely be coming off the wait list as soon as their impending membership has become a possibility, rather than waiting to make contact in the Feb/Mar membership season. This would allow us to recoup our equity more quickly when members resign.
Streamlining:
* Board unanimously agreed that there should be an assistant treasurer position on next year’s board.
* Moving to electronic payments for dues, guest passes etc. Discussion regarding how to pay for the 7-8K fees associated with online payment system initiated a conversation about the handyman fee and possibly raising it to absorb the cost of fees for online transactions.
* In depth discussion about whether or not to offer refund of maintenance fee for those who volunteer at handyman days. Possible alternatives mentioned were SSL hours, free food, and offering guest passes. Board ultimately decided to table the issue and leave the decision for the next board. Refund discussion aside, board agreed that the $75 fee should be charged to all members, regardless of age, and referred to henceforth as “maintenance” fee rather than “handyman” fee. * Online application system is now in place. In order to move to a fully online system, membership must vote on a by-law change.
* Craig will provide the name of an attorney who we can consult regarding a Bylaw review and update for next year * All agreed to Linda’s suggestion that we charge a uniform fee for guest passes — $5 per visit regardless of the day (weekday/weekend).
* Verizon FIOs discussion — Linda will contact them to get a price for running cable to the pool.
* All agreed to eliminate the vehicle information from Member Splash. In lieu of tracking info that can’t be tracked effectively, Craig suggested that front desk be stocked with “warning notices” for those who are identified as violating the parking regulations.
No questions regarding the treasurer’s notes which were submitted prior to the meeting.
Lengthy discussion was had regarding the point system for membership and boundary changes. The remainder of the meeting was devoted to this issue and all agreed that the point system is an administrative nightmare for the treasurer and bookkeeper. Board struggled with what/how to present these issues to the membership. Ultimately the board voted to place one item on the ballot; a motion was made that would amend the by-laws to eliminate the current priority point system for future applicants. The current waitlist would remain unaltered. Six voted in favor of the motion and one was opposed.
Submitted by Meredith Hammond (Joe Matal, Secretary, was absent)
