2019 Meeting Minutes Index:
February
March
April
May
June
September
October
November
December

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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—February 26, 2019
At Brian Herberger’s House
7:30pm

Board members in attendance:Claire Slabaugh, John Crupi, Steve Volkers, Joe Matal, Brian Herberger, David Cutitta, Andrea Kiernan, Mike Adlin, Cathy Stocker, Geoff Egnal, Tony Higgins, and Chuck Montrie of Bethesda Aquatics.

The Board welcomed new members David Cutitta and Andrea Kiernan, and approved the minutes of the previous meeting.

Board President Brian Herberger discussed updates to the bylaws concerning special meetings, special assessments, and pool access for immediate family members of heads of households.

Treasurer Steve Volkers gave an update on the LFSC’s financial condition. The Club has $166,000 in the bank.

Master Planning Chair Cathy Stocker gave an update on the planned bathhouse renovation. The Board assented to her proposal to focus on one of the two bids that was received, and to tentatively plan the renovation for the autumn, after public hearings on the proposed redesign and a vote by the membership. The proposed renovation will take eight week to complete, in addition to the time for permits to be obtained.

The Board approved the standard motions with minor modifications, including that the pool will now open at 10:00 A.M. on weekends. The Board approved some modest increases in fees, consistent with increases in the cost of living.

The Board elected the following new officers and committee chairs:

President:                        Cathy Stocker
Vice President:                Mike Adlin
Secretary:                         Joe Matal
Treasurer:                        Geoff Egnal
Assistant Treasurer:       Steve Volkers
Operations:                      David Cutitta
Membership:                   Claire Slabaugh
Communications:           Cynthia Morton
Buildings & Grounds:     Tony Higgins
Tennis:                              David Cutitta
Social:                             John Crupi & Andrea Kiernan
Community Liaison:        Cynthia Morton

The Board approved a motion to purchase 10 new deck chairs, 15 lounge chairs, and 15 umbrellas, at a cost not to exceed $11,000.

Meeting was adjourned at 10:15pm.

Respectfully submitted, Joe Matal, Secretary

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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—March 13, 2019
At Geoff Egnal’s House
7:30pm

Board members in attendance: Claire Slabaugh, John Crupi, Steve Volkers, Joe Matal, David Cutitta, Andrea Kiernan, Mike Adlin, Cathy Stocker, Geoff Egnal, Cynthia Morton, and Tony Higgins.

Board President Cathy Stocker gave a report.

  • The Board approved Cathy’s proposal to begin seeking a permit for a bathhouse renovation to be completed in the fall. The permit will cost about $4-5 thousand.
  • The Board discussed a neighbor’s concern about a tree near the tennis courts whose branch goes into the neighbor’s yard. A tree expert came and concluded that the tree belongs to the county and thus LFSC lacks the authority to cut its branches. (LFSC has put the concerned neighbor in touch with the county.) The tree expert concluded that another tree that had been a source of concern is healthy.
  • With regard to proposals to open the pool at an earlier time on weekends: LFSC’s operating agreement with the county bars opening the pool before 11:00am on Sunday. The pool can, however, open earlier on Saturday.

Membership Chair Claire Slabaugh gave a report.

  • The Board approved further updates to dates and deadlines in the standard motions, and agreed that Full Season Guest passes will be offered first to adjoining and abutting neighbors of the pool.
  • The Board discussed clarifying that End of Season Guests are only admitted to pool barbeques during the End of Season period when their guest privileges are effective (such as the Labor Day picnic), but are welcome at all adult parties.
  • Membership numbers: LFSC now has 11 Associate Members, down from 21 last year; 73 Senior Emeritus members, up from 61 last year; 5 Legacy SLUPs, down from 9; and 36 Legacy Senior Emeritus members, down from 39.
  • About half of all members have paid their dues for the coming season.
  • To enforce parking restrictions in areas around the pool (such as along Glen Cove), LFSC will implement a system of parking stickers for residents, to help identify cars that are parked illegally.

Treasurer Geoff Egnall gave a report.

  • A slight increase in swim team dues will increase income from the team.
  • All Board members have signed and submitted their conflict-of-interest forms.
  • LFSC has filed its 990 tax form.

Building & Grounds Chair Tony Higgins gave a report.

  • The Board discussed the mowing contract and mulch delivery.
  • The Board discussed a proposal to use thicker wood chips along the path around the pool, and framing the path with railroad ties, as well as placing stones or mesh over the drains.

Tennis Chair David Cutitta gave a report.

  • Summer leagues: there has been only limited interest in forming a women’s summer league, but there has been sufficient interest in a men’s league to form a team. The team would compete against other pools, from May through July, on Tuesdays from 6:30pm-8:30pm.
  • There will be new, easier-to-use locks for the courts.
  • David will look into filling the depression on the third court, which tends to sustain puddles when it rains.

Board Vice President Mike Adlin gave a report on solar power.

  • Mike presented the two options for solar power: buying solar panels, or participating in a power purchase agreement.
  • Purchasing the panels would cost $13 thousand, and is estimated to break even within 5 years.
  • Under a PPA, another company would install and own the solar panels—no up front payment would be required from LFSC—but the estimated annual reduction in power costs would be smaller, about $1,000 a year rather than an estimated $2,700 a year if LFSC owned the panels.
  • The panels would be placed mostly on the pool side of the bathhouse roof.
  • The Board agreed to move forward with the PPA proposal, pending comments from members.

Social Chair Andrea Kiernan gave a report.

  • The Board discussed planning social events, and cleaning the grill after cookouts. The Board also discussed the possibility of broadcasting the Women’s World Cup at the pool this summer.

Communications Chair Cynthia Morton discussed refreshing the pool’s website and cleaning up links on the site.

Social Chair John Crupi discussed the purchase of additional chairs and umbrellas for the pool.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:55pm.

Respectfully submitted, Joe Matal, Secretary

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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—April 10, 2019
At Claire Slabaugh’s House
7:30pm 

Board members in attendance: Claire Slabaugh, John Crupi, Steve Volkers, Joe Matal, David Cutitta, Andrea Kiernan, Mike Adlin, Cathy Stocker, and Cynthia Morton, with Tony Higgins participating in part by conference call.

The Board approved the previous meeting’s minutes.

Board President Cathy Stocker gave a report.

  • Cathy reported that, based on the county’s requirements, LFSC may need to have the contractor re-mark up the plans for the bathhouse renovation. (The existing plans included projects that are no longer within the scope of the plan.)  The Board approved a motion to spend up to $3,500 on such changes if the county requires them.

Membership Chair Claire Slabaugh gave a report.

  • Almost all members and guests—including all full members—have paid their dues.
  • LFSC has offered extended-season guest passes to households on the wait list (65 authorized guest passes, plus an additional 22 passes to substitute for members who have become inactive.) All but 13 households offered the extended season pass so far have accepted it.
  • The “associate” category of membership has now been eliminated—households on the wait list are now offered either a full membership or a limited guest pass.
  • Approximately 240 households are on the wait list. All but about 20 of these households have been offered a limited guest pass.

Steve Volkers gave a report on behalf of Treasurer Geoff Egnal.

  • LFSC has collected about $327,000 in annual dues, an increase over the $290,000 collected last year.
  • The Board discussed using Google Suite domain accounts for LFSC communications and document storage, to ensure retention of communications and files as LFSC personnel change. The Board approved spending in the range of $100 a month for such accounts.

Cathy Stocker gave a report on behalf of Building & Grounds Chair Tony Higgins.

  • The Board discussed the mowing contract, and decided to maintain the contract with Mowing & More.
  • The Board reopened the discussion of using thicker wood chips along the paths around the pool and framing the paths with railroad ties. The Board approved spending $1980 to improve the path in front of the pool (from the bike rack to the front entrance), $1125 to improve the path between the bike rack and Glen Cove Pkwy. (particularly to regrade a depression in the middle of the path), and spending up to $2600 to create a woodchip and potentially bordered path between the bike rack and the car bridge (in the place of the sidewalk that existed before the pool renovation).

Tennis Chair David Cutitta gave a report.

  • David has requested bids from three contractors to fix the depression in the third court.

Social Chair John Crupi gave a report.

  • The Board approved John’s proposal to spend up to $12,000 to purchase 15 umbrellas, 15 cast iron umbrella stands, 20 lounge chairs, and 20 chairs.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:45.

Respectfully submitted, Joe Matal, Secretary

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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—May 8, 2019
At Andrea Kiernan’s House
7:30pm

Board members in attendance: John Crupi, Steve Volkers, Joe Matal, David Cutitta, Andrea Kiernan, Mike Adlin, Cathy Stocker, Geoff Egnal, and Cynthia Morton, with Terrie Tomlin of Bethesda Aquatics.

The Board approved the previous meeting’s minutes.

Terrie Tomlin of Bethesda Aquatics gave a report.

  • Many new lifeguards (largely neighborhood teenagers) have been hired for the summer.
  • Work is underway to fix the bottle-filling station (which has a leak), and a plumber has ordered parts to fix the water fountain by the food stand.

 Board President Cathy Stocker gave a report.

  • LFSC has ordered a replacement for the yellow bucket that has cracked in the water feature in the small-children’s pool.
  • John Chadwick, the contractor for the bathhouse renovation, is moving forward with a markup of the plans.
  • LFSC had a successful handyman day on April 27.
  • About 30 lounge chairs and short chairs will either be restrapped or replaced. One umbrella has been thrown out and will be replaced.
  • The Board discussed either replacing or removing the rust from the pool basketball hoop.

Treasurer Geoff Egnal gave a report.

  • All members and seasonal guests have paid their dues.
  • LFSC is about $20,000 ahead of last year’s revenues.
  • LFSC has switched insurance brokers to the Russell Insurance Group.

Tennis Chair David Cutitta gave a report.

  • An initial bid has been received for fixing the depression in the third court—for $6,000. This is much higher than expected. The repair basically consists of resurfacing the court. The Board will consider its options as further bids are received.

Social Chair Andrea Kiernan gave a report.

  • LFSC is preparing for the pool-opening happy hour. The event will feature beer brewed by former Board President Jon Slabaugh.

CLC Chair Cynthia Morton gave a report.

  • A CLC member has raised concerns about invasive vines smothering trees at the edge of the pool property and weighing down power lines.

The Board approved a motion to spend up to $1700 to restrap lounge chairs and short chairs, at a cost of $81 per lounge chair and $65 per short chair.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:15.

Respectfully submitted, Joe Matal, Secretary

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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—June 13, 2019
At the Pool
7:30pm

Board members in attendance: Steve Volkers, Joe Matal, David Cutitta, Andrea Kiernan, Mike Adlin, Cathy Stocker, Geoff Egnal, Claire Slabaugh, Tony Higgins, and Cynthia Morton, with Chuck Montrie of Bethesda Aquatics.

The Board approved the previous meeting’s minutes.

Board President Cathy Stocker gave a report.

  • The recent storm caused much damage to trees near the pool. A large branch hanging over the dining area fence was lost, and neighbors helped to move the large tree that fell onto Little Falls Drive in front of the bridge and damaged the guardrail. LFSC has spent about $4,000 on tree removal.
  • Applications have been filed for permits for the bathhouse renovation, which is on schedule.
  • The Board had an extended discussion about ongoing problems with the pool pump. Cathy has had a new pump company and an industrial electrician examine the pump, each of which identified different potential problems. One observation was that the pump is working too hard, and drawing too many amperes—the flow of current is at the upper limit of the motor. LFSC has reduced the flow rate of the pump to temporarily mitigate this problem. The circuit breaker also appears to be running hot. LFSC will continue examination of the system, and will entertain bids to upgrade the safety controls of the electrical system.
  • The Board discussed problems with the alley; apparent encroachment into the alley by neighbors on the Baltimore Avenue side has caused trucks to veer more toward the LF side, generating complaints from neighbors on that side.

Treasurer Geoff Egnal gave a report.

  • LFSC’s finances are in order and there have been no unusual expenses.
  • LFSC explored the possibility of seeking insurance coverage for the storm damage; because of a $1,000 deductible, the damage was not high enough to justify invoking the coverage.

CLC Chair Cynthia Morton reported that only two neighbors attended the recent CLC meeting. The group discussed a tree with branches that extend over a neighboring yard.

Social Chair Andrea Kiernan announced that the next event will be the Mexican Fiesta. LFSC is also starting planning for the July 4 picnic, for which SSL hours will available to neighborhood children who volunteer.

Building and Grounds Chair Tony Higgins announced that the new path in front of the pool will be installed soon.

Tennis Chair David Cutitta reported that LFSC is still soliciting bids to resurface the third court. There have also been some problems with the locks, which may need to be replaced.

Membership Chair Claire Slabaugh gave a report.

  • LFSC has given out 87 Extended Season Guest and 103 End of Season Guest swim slots. Nineteen of these guest households have children who have joined the swim team.
  • LFSC also has 75 Senior Emeritus members and 35 Senior Emeritus (Legacy), and 4 remaining SLUPs (Senior Limited Use Pass).
  • There are 288 households on the waitlist, a number that has remained fairly steady over recent years. All households that were on the waitlist at the beginning of the summer were offered some type of Guest swim privileges.
  • LFSC members used Mohican pool early-season privileges on 321 occasions, representing 145 different households.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:15pm.

Respectfully submitted, Joe Matal, Secretary

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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—September 11, 2019
At Joe Matal’s House
7:30pm

Board members in attendance: Cathy Stocker, Steve Volkers, Joe Matal, David Cutitta, Andrea Kiernan, Mike Adlin, Claire Slabaugh, Tony Higgins, and Cynthia Morton, with Chuck Montrie of Bethesda Aquatics.

The Board approved the June meeting’s minutes.

  • Pool Manager Chuck Montrie gave a report.
    This summer saw heavy use of the pool—even August was busy. The Board discussed the possibility of hiring an adult manager to help enforce pool rules and culture.
  • The pool has been “put to bed” for the season: the water level has been lowered, and algaecide has been added to the water. Also, the water fountain has been fixed. The pool’s LED light still needs to be fixed.
  • The Board discussed the possibility of keeping the pool house warm during the winter to preserve equipment and to allow storing the pump on site.

Assistant Treasurer Steve Volkers gave a report.

  • LFSC needs to recruit a pool member to participate in an audit of the pools’ books.
  • 303 members worked at handyman day this summer. The pool has 20 new members (who each paid the $3,000 equity fee), and 45 new applicants have joined the waitlist. This summer LFSC sold about 1,500 guest passes, 74 caregiver passes, 101 End-of-Season Guest, 114 Senior Emeritus, and 86 Full Season Guest swim privileges.
  • LFSC brought in about $30,000 more in revenue than last year, for a total of about $442,000 in revenue. The pool’s net income was about $100,000, and LFSC has about $236,000 in the bank.

Board President Cathy Stocker gave a report:

  • LFSC has received the permit for the bathhouse renovation. The renovation will cost at least $178,000, with possible adjustments.
  • The Board approved a motion to seek approval from the membership to spend up to $200,000 on the bathhouse renovation.

Vice President Mike Adlin gave a report on adding solar panels to the roof of the bathhouse, and in particular on the benefits of taking full ownership of the panels versus entering into a power purchase agreement (PPA) with an entity that would own the panels. The Board engaged in an extended discussion of the merits of each approach, and decided that it needed more information on the terms of a potential PPA contract. LFSC currently spends about $8-10,000 a year on electricity.

Tennis Chair David Cutitta gave a report on, and the Board discussed, the possibility of converting the third tennis court to a pickle ball court. The Board agreed to defer resurfacing the third court until the bathhouse renovation is completed, but agreed to include $18,000 in the budget for that purpose.

The Board approved a motion authorizing Cathy Stocker to spend from $1900 to $2600 to plant 2 to 3 additional trees, in order to comply with LFSC’s forest conservation plan.

Meeting was adjourned at 10:10pm.

Respectfully submitted, Joe Matal, Secretary

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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—October 9, 2019
At the Adlin house
7:30pm

Board members in attendance: Cathy Stocker, Steve Volkers, Mike Adlin, Joe Matal, David Cutitta, Andrea Kiernan, Tony Higgins, and John Crupi, with Chuck Montrie of Bethesda Aquatics.

The Board approved the minutes of the July and September Board meetings.

The Board, by a vote of 7 ayes, 1 nay, and 1 nay by proxy, voted to use solar power at the pool via a Power Purchase Agreement. (Under a PPA, a company will install and manage solar panels on the roof of the bathhouse, receive the D.C. subsidy for solar power, and sell the power back to LFSC at a discount. LFSC thereby receives some of the discount enabled by the subsidy, but without accepting responsibility for installing and maintaining solar equipment.)

Pool Manager Chuck Montrie gave a report. He noted that September was a busy month for pool usage because of the warm weather—and that lifeguards were hard to get.

The Board approved a motion to allow Mohican privileges to be used by LFSC members, senior emeritus guests, and full season guests of LFSC.

The Board discussed the need for an adult manager to help the young lifeguards who are often in charge of the pool.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:24pm.

Respectfully submitted, Joe Matal, Secretary

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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—November 13, 2019
At Tony Higgins’ House
7:30pm

Board members in attendance: John Crupi, Claire Slabaugh, Steve Volkers, David Cutitta, Andrea Kiernan, Mike Adlin, Cathy Stocker, Cynthia Morton, Tony Higgins, with Chuck Montrie of Bethesda Aquatics.

Chuck Montrie gave a report:

  • The pool is being readied for winter and next season, including preventative maintenance, and repairs to equipment
  • Because of coming increases in the minimum wage, Bethesda Aquatics’ costs will increase substantially next year
  • The Board discussed potential improvements to how pool staff are deployed and managed, especially during busy times
  • Bethesda Aquatics purchased a new pool vacuum with the costs to be split between 3 pools it manages, including Little Falls

Assistant Treasurer Steve Volkers gave a report:

  • The pool’s fiscal year recently closed
  • The pool’s Audit Committee will be examining the books, spot-checking transactions, etc., and its assistance is highly valuable and greatly appreciated
  • The Board reviewed the pool’s financials and the draft budget for next fiscal year

Board President Cathy Stocker gave a report:

  • Renovation of the women’s bathroom and construction of the new family bathroom is well underway
  • Fixtures have already been picked
  • The Board discussed forming a new “color” committee to choose colors and other options for the new bathroom

Community Liaison Cynthia Morton gave a report:

  • The CLC continues to discuss and respond to community concerns
  • The CLC will be sending the County a brief summary of its efforts

Meeting was adjourned at 9:30pm.

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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—December 11, 2019
At John Crupi’s house
7:40pm

Board members in attendance: Cathy Stocker, John Crupi, Mike Adlin, Joe Matal, David Cutitta, Andrea Kiernan, Claire Slabaugh, and Geoff Egnall, with Chuck Montrie of Bethesda Aquatics.

The Board approved the minutes of the November meeting.

Board President Cathy Stocker reported the Mohican pool will no longer provide LFSC and other area pools pre- and post-season access to their pool. Mohican gave as its reason that their pool has become too crowded, given that their own community’s usage of Mohican pool has increased by 60% this year.

The Board discussed LFSC’s 2020 social events.

The Board discussed the bathhouse renovation, and the LFSC budget.

Meeting was adjourned at 9:00pm.

Respectfully submitted, Joe Matal, Secretary