Board of Directors Meetings
Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—March 8, 2022
via Zoom
8:15pm
Board members present:
Fred Atwood, Matt Berzok, David Cutitta, Lara Goldmark, Nancy La Vigne, Maren Matal, Phil Petrilli, Steve Volkers, Matt Wexler, Eric Zuckerman (10 of 11)
Others present: Cathy Stocker (immediate past president), Linda Karson (LFSC’s administrator), Bruce Schaper, of Lighthouse (LFSC’s pool management company)
I. Welcome and introductions – Members introduced themselves.
II. Select Officers and Committees – Cathy Stocker, immediate past president, nominated the following people to serve as LFSC Board officers: Steve Volkers, president; David Cutitta, vice president, Nancy La Vigne, secretary, Lara Goldmark, treasurer. Board members voted approval of this slate unanimously.
III. Pool staffing update – Bruce Schaper reported that he has received 15 apps to date. Sent a reminder email earlier that day, lots of openings, expect an increase in applications since deadline isn’t until March 15. Board members clarified that Lighthouse will be prioritizing returning guards and new applicants from the LFSC community.
IV. Discussion and approval of Standard Motions for 2022 – the Board approved the motions unanimously, making the following material changes:
- Identified roles for each Board member (complete list pasted below)
- Corrected the pool closing date to September 18 (unless extended);
- Extended Full Season Guests to up to 125 from up to 100;
- Extended Early Bird to 8:30am during swim and dive season; and
- Increased End of Season Dues from $250 to $325.
Officers:
| President | Steve Volkers |
| Vice President | David Cutitta |
| Secretary | Nancy La Vigne |
| Treasurer | Lara Goldmark |
| Assistant Treasurer | Matt Wexler |
| Committee | Chair | Co-chair |
| Operations | Eric Zukerman | Nancy La Vigne |
| Membership | Kara Maciel | Steve Volkers |
| Communications | Nancy La Vigne | |
| Buildings & Grounds | Fred Atwood | Phil Petrilli |
| Tennis | David Cutitta | Matt Wexler |
| Social | Matt Berzok | Kara Maciel |
| Community Liaison | Maren Matal | Cathy Stocker (non-Board rep) |
| Swim & Dive Team Liaison | Matt Berzok | Phil Petrilli |
| Administrators | |
| Administrator | Linda Karson |
| Bookkeeper | Kathryn Eliscar |
| Lighthouse | Bruce Schaper Dennis Witol |
V. Finance update – Lara gave an update on the signed audited financials, which have been distributed, and the budget that the last Board voted to approve. Lara wants to look at the numbers each month and make the budget more intuitive. The Board agreed that contractors should not be present during budget discussions.
VI. Swim & Dive teams – The Board discussed three items – practice times, competition rules, and coaches’ salaries:
- They agreed to a proposed change in the practice schedule, with practice starting weekdays at 8:30am instead of 8:00am and starting at 3:30pm in the afternoons. The change in the morning start time will enable us to extend early bird swim for a half an hour, which Bruce Schaper confirmed is feasible from a staffing perspective.
- They agreed with the decision to enable End of Season Guest family kids who join the swim team to compete at all meets including “A meets” – a decision that was presented to the Montgomery County Swim Leagues Rules Committee and garnered no objection.
- The Swim Team reps recommend hiring the current Head Coach of American University Swim Team, Garland Bartlett, to be the Head Coach of the Penguins this summer and requested approval of her salary request of $10K. They propose to hire the following positions with associated compensation:
Head Coach: Garland Bartlett $10K
Assistant Head Coach: 2 @ $4k/each $8K
Assistant Heac Coach 8 &Under/Pre-Team/Nestling: 1 @$4k $4K
Assistant Coaches: 4 @ $3k/each; 2@ $2k/each $16K
Junior Coaches: ~ 5, free registration, SSL hours, bonus
Total swim coach salaries: $38K
They plan to charge $185/swimmer for registration X 206 (last year’s enrollment) = ~ $38k so should break even.
The dive rep proposed to have coach Sarah Halperin return this year at a salary of $6,100; she will be supported by 2-3 assistants paid at $15-16/hour depending on experience (approximately $3k total for all assistant coaches). With an estimated total 75 registrants at $160/per = $12k, we should break even after paying the league fee, insurance, etc.
The Board voted unanimously to approve the swim and dive coaches budgets up to $50k for the 2022 season.
VII. Building and Grounds – Dave reported that the pump was replaced and described the proposed plan to upgrade our security cameras in three phases:
Phase 1 – upgrade existing cameras that are hard wired to replace with high resolution system that has software that reduced false alarms owing to animal interlopers.
Phase 2 – replace Arlo cameras because batteries die quickly – hard wire cameras instead – 7 cameras in total.
Phase 3 – add two cameras to tennis courts and replacing camera on bridge with a hardwired camera. Recent incident of someone cutting the cable off the tennis courts. The tennis cameras can’t reach the wifi so would need to dig a trench and lay cables in ground.
The Board voted unanimously to approve spending up to $17k to cover the costs of the camera upgrade (estimated at $15,495).
VIII. Tennis – the Board voted unanimously to approve the replacement of pickle ball nets at a cost of up to $1k.
IX. Bridge replacement planning update – Cathy Stocker reported that she has a meeting with John Chadwick, project manager consultant, on the bridge feasibility study tomorrow and will report back to the Board soon after.
X. Adjourn – the Board voted to adjourn at 10:29pm and Steve reminded all Board members to sign a new conflict of interest form and to make note that the next Board meeting with be Wednesday, April 6 at 7:30pm via Zoom.
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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—April 6, 2022
via Zoom
8:15pm
Board members present:
Matt Berzok, David Cutitta, Lara Goldmark, Nancy La Vigne, Kara Maciel, Maren Matal, Steve Volkers, Matt Wexler, Eric Zuckerman (9 of 11)
Others present: Cathy Stocker (CLC representative) and Bruce Schaper, of Lighthouse (LFSC’s pool management company)
Not in attendance: Fred Atwood and Phil Petrilli
I. Approve March 8 Minutes – Approved by unanimous consent.
II. Lighthouse: Update on Pool Season Prep and Lifeguard hiring
The pool was drained and cleaned – have started to fill it – should be full by tomorrow so that it’s ready for Pentair pump installation. They had not yet tested the lights but will dry them out and check them. One of the expansion joints (caulk in the pool that helps to waterproof it) should be replaced but it must be dry so it’s something that Lighthouse will likely have to postpone to Spring 2023 when the pool is drained again. Expansion joints typically need maintenance every 7-10 years so this is not an urgent issue. Dave shared that Hydratech is running behind on the pump installation and is hoping that they get the job done on April 14. There will be some challenges associated with programming the device so that in all pool conditions – dirty, clean, etc., we can maintain the desired flow rate and pass inspection. It should be “set it and forget it” once it’s up and running, but there will be a calibration process.
Staffing – Have been interviewing LF community candidates (43 applicants); they are great and personable. The interviews are short, but they seem ready to welcome Lighthouse to LFSC. They are excited and ready to go. Interviewed a candidate for the top manager position who seems promising but want to meet with other pool operations candidates as well. Bruce will invite coach candidates to check the training schedule on the website for certification. Can probably offer a special recertification session for them.
III. Construction update – Cathy Stocker gave an update on the prospects and costs of replacing the bridge – making it wider and increasing the load so that it can accommodate emergency services vehicles and the chlorine truck. Cathy met with John Chadwick who is managing this exploratory process to understand the scope and estimated costs to replace the bridge. Hillis-Carnes is the engineering company that also did the geo-tech assessment for the pool renovation. This report will assess what kind of load the existing supports can bear. Hopefully enough for a new bridge – if not, costs will be significantly higher to account for pouring new supports. Hillis-Carnes will try to get the work done in one day but if an extra day of digging is required it will increase the cost of their assessment by $2,400. As a reminder, the Board approved $12,000 at the February 22, 2022 meeting so we are well within that cost for this feasibility assessment. Matt B offered to help alert neighbors about the minor disruption and potential noise associated with this assessment, reaching out to let them know that this will be happening and the duration. We should also let them know via our community liaison.
IV. Extended season and hours – A proposal was brought to the Board by Maren to consider expanding the season (at both the beginning at the end) and possibly opening the pool earlier on Sunday mornings. Maren shared that neighboring pools tend to be open three to five weeks longer (mainly on the weekends). Most Board members present seemed to agree to pursuing an expanded season but noted that the Sunday hours would require careful engagement of the CLC and the adjoining neighbors. Lighthouse in their bid confirmed that they are able to staff the pool during any extended season.
Any changes to our Special Operating Agreement must be approved by the County Department of Permitting and Zoning. That process requires the County reach out to adjoining neighbors through the US mail to alert them the request has been made and allow them to express feedback or request a hearing. The Board has had recent experience with the process through a 2020 request to temporarily extend the season to account for earlier-in-the season delays due to COVID. The Board gained input and letters of support from the community and positioned the pool is an important community amenity – and the approval went smoothly, and the exception was granted. A request for a permanent change to the season would potentially be more complicated and take more preparation. The Board agreed that the best approach is to go to the Department of Permitting with a full though-out proposal that has been run past the community for input prior.
Kara asked if there’s a hearing can it reopen the entire operating agreement for review or is it only to discuss the specifically proposed amendment? Cathy believes the Board of appeals would stick with the proposed amendment, not reopen the whole agreement. And this is solely about Section 2 of the operating agreement. So the goal would be to go to the appeals Board with a consensus-based proposal.
The first step is to send something out to the confronting and conjoining members about what we are thinking about requesting and get a sense of where people stand with it, which will give us an opportunity to make revisions as needed. There will definitely be a hearing. But we don’t want any surprises at the hearing. We want to know where we stand beforehand.
Maren volunteered to lead the outreach to the neighbors. Kara Maciel, Lara Goldmark, Matt Wexler, and Eric Zuckerman offered to help. Cathy has a master list of all confronting and adjourning neighbors – suggested that we email them about what we are thinking and offer two or three times after the pool opens – offer office hours – “swing by, grab a beverage, let’s talk. We can also come to you.” Make it neighborly and easy for them but also be clear what we are exploring. We need to find out what the neighbors think about each of these, along with the costs.
With this feedback, the committee can them come back to the Board with a proposed amendment to take to the Department of Permitting. Does the bridge also factor into this? No, that’s a different permitting process.
There was unanimous consent on the part of the Board to explore these revisions per above description.
V. Finance Committee report – Lara shared a Revised FY2022 budget based upon new revenue and expense information that was received in recent months. The original budget that the Board approved in February was prepared in a rush because the audit was late (e.g. there was nothing under Swim and Dive or Social). The revised budget also reflects the increase in the End of Season Guest fee to $325 and the increase of Full Season Guests to 125. She and Matt W, along with our bookkeeper, are also working on an annotated budget to explain what specific line items are for, so they are still in the process of getting the budget into a format that everyone understands.
Kara requested more itemization for Swim and Dive expenses, such as coaches’ salaries, banquet, revenue from dues, etc. Steve noted that part of the problem with more detailed Swim and Dive expenses is that some expenses are shared between the two teams – beach trip, banquet, hard to separate. Dave noted that we will also need to add tennis expenditures – not more than $400 – to cover balls and team expense fee. Matt suggested that we include a Reserve fund vs depreciation (to follow true cash-basis accounting) that could be tapped for future priorities. Steve suggested that we get back on a proper financial reporting schedule: close out the books in October and come to the Board with a proposed new FY budget in December so that when it comes to the annual meeting, we have a good sense of why we are proposing what we are proposing.
We will also want to start chipping away at our renovation loan payment. Nancy clarified that the coaches’ salaries are a pass through, not in the pool management company’s contract. Steve shared that we have more inactives this year (32 in total), which will reduce our revenue in annual dues for Equity Members. That will be recovered to some degree by Full Season Guest fees, but not enough to compensate for the entire loss. The likely reasons for the high number of inactives are because there’s a box you can check, making it easy to choose if members are on the fence about whether to resign. Next year we should return to an application process for inactive status and review continual extensions of inactive request – perhaps cap after five consecutive years.
She said she was not going to review the YTD actuals because they are updated only through February and there hasn’t been a lot of activity up until now. Also, she is currently working on a spreadsheet to comply with auditors to track transactions between MemberSplash and QuickBooks. That tool is almost completed, and she will have YTD numbers for the next Board meeting.
VI. The Board approved the new budget Lara shared to serve as this year’s annual budget, replacing that which was approved by the previous Board.
VII. Committee Updates
a. Membership – 15 Equity Members resigned, 17 new member offers; 32 Equity Members elected inactive status; 121 Full Season Guest offers have been made. 39 have paid and 8 have taken a waiver. Linda is amazing – she’s so on top of it. She tracks who has seen/opened emails, etc.
b. Building & Grounds – Mowing & More contract has been signed but we are having difficulty in getting them to answer his calls. We have mulch and wood chips that need to be distributed. There’s also a Bartlett Tree proposal for this year. The Board confirmed that this was not solicited and likely not competitive given past proposals that have been inflated.
Dave gave update on the security system upgrade. We’re only doing phases one and two between April 23 and May 26. The third phase involves digging a trench to place electrical lines to enable cameras at the courts. We will defer that to the fall after pool closing so as not to disrupt the season.
c. Tennis – Dave got one quote for new windscreens on two of the courts, which are unsightly and a tripping hazard – came in under $6,000. He will solicit at least one more. In the meantime, he hired a handman to try to repair the existing ones – court 1 is done and he is working on court 2; we can also try to make them more presentable on handyman days. The Board voted to approve up to $6,000 to repair the windscreens.
The men’s and women’s tennis teams start next month and run through August.
Enrichment academy on court 3 will be in place through the summer.
Maren asked the kids tennis coach to return this year – he’s soliciting signups for this summer, offering group lessons weekdays from 9:00am-11:00am from June 13 – September 2. Members can pay by the day.
There’s a group of pickleball players who have requested a league which would involve 12 people coming to our courts on Sunday nights on court 2 from May through late August. The Board was supportive of this endeavor.
d. Swim & Dive – All coaches have been made offers and accepted them. MSCL is planning a regular season including relay carnival. The reps have selected a new fundraising recipient: Horizons of Greater Washington. Swim and Dive registration opened on April 1 and will run through May which will enable end of season members to enroll. If you want a personalized T-shirt you must register by May 15.
e. Operations – Nancy and Eric will coordinate with Lighthouse on Handyman Days. Ensure we have the checklist of handyman tasks, pre-signed SSL forms, and computer spreadsheet for people to log their presence so they can get the credit. (Handyman Days are Saturday, April 30 and Saturday, May 7 from 9:00am to 2:00pm.) Nancy and Eric will coordinate with Linda and Cynthia on laptops – charging and ensuring cameras work for taking pictures. Linda will want to do a training of guards on MemberSplash unless Lighthouse is doing that – Nancy will check. Nancy encouraged Board members to upload pictures into their accounts. She will also request headshots of Board members to post at the pool.
f. Social – We need to start thinking of pre-opening happy hour and using that to honor Chuck and Teri.
VIII. Other/New Business – We decided to send a reminder to all members of the rules and regulations, asking them to verify that they’ve read it. We’ll also print them out and put them on the bulletin Board at the pool. Next year we should add a box to check for people to confirm that they have read and agree to the rules. Start this year as honor system this year and next year it will be integrated into the registration form.
Eric Z proposed that we revisit the renovation of men’s restroom and construction of family restroom. Steve will share the estimates and we can discuss at next Board meeting.
IX. Adjourn – 9:39pm
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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—May 4, 2022
8:15pm
Board members present:
Maren Matal
Steve Volkers
Matt Berzok
Fred Atwood
Kara Maciel
Lara Goldmark
Matt Wexler
Others present:
Bruce Schaper
Ken Tesch
John Chadwick
I. Approve April 6 Minutes
II. Bridge construction update
John Chadwick summarized the results of the excavation to assess the integrity of the bridge and estimate the feasibility of building a new one that has the bearing capacity to accommodate emergency vehicles, the chlorine truck, and other large vehicles. Turns out it’s 76.5 tons. The next step would be to estimate exactly how much load the bridge could support and that would enable us to get some bids on cost for the entire project. The bridge contractor would have the engineering design for the bridge and the soil contractor would tell about that, then a structural engineer (is required to get a permit). He noted that material prices are up from when he did the study in the fall when he quoted $129k – we should add another $20k to $40k to account for that. Could get a contractor who could take care of all the engineering via a “turnkey” contract if we want to go that route. Cathy will continue to work with John on this estimate.
III. Community outreach strategy
Maren updated on efforts to engage community members. She sent an email to the confronting and adjoining neighbors – 32 households around the pool. Maren also hand delivered hard copies. The first Town Hall is scheduled for 12:30pm during handyman day. Matt will cover for Maren at that meeting. The plan is to share with neighbors that we have a new pool operator, provide other pool updates (including the idea of extending the length of the pool season on weekends only and opening slightly earlier on Sunday mornings) and entertain any issue or questions they may have. Then there will be another meeting on Monday night at 7:30pm via Zoom.
An email to members and guests about rules will go out about a week before opening, which Maren drafted and will work with Linda to send out.
Matt B asked about people who do not comply with tadpole test – when is it administered? How do you know when one should take it? Is it only relegated to swimming in the well and/or going off the Board? Should that be a question when checking in young guests? Bruce said that at other pools if the guard notices that a child looks too young or not proficient at swimming then they will ask them to take the test. Bruce asserted that there should always be two guards up. Bruce would like to come in and engage the staff about safety and revamp safety protocols without stepping on their toes – ask them to tighten things up, especially with regard to having just one guard up. How then could you do the tadpole test? Emma Volkers and JD Gorman will be the top managers. Bruce will meet with them and pool operators and ask Emma and JD to spearhead the idea of rolling things out the way they’ve learned it through American Red Cross.
IV. Lighthouse: Update on Pool Season Prep and Staff Hiring
Orientation is on May 20 at 7:30pm at the pool with majority of staff. Separate training on MemberSplash via Zoom estimated to occur on May 11. Steve encouraged Board members to show up and support the effort.
Dennis will confirm that all coaches are up-to-date on lifeguard certification and if not direct them to a class they can take (or if sufficient numbers, offer one at LFSC).
Steve thanked Bruce and Ken for their participation at handyman day – really helpful!
Drain issue – using a sewer camera to examine a deck drain that is backing up and overflowing, which may prevent us from getting inspection approval. Fred noted that racoons were coming in last year so we added a steel grate, but could clip the wires to free up the flow. Ken doesn’t think that is restricting anything. He’ll use the sewer camera to identify how to address the blockage and will be scheduling that inspection soon – probably in next 8-10 days.
The new pump blew a fuse twice over – had Hydratech come out and recalibrate the rpm and the second time it’s held up, so it’s probably good to go.
V. Finance Committee Report
Budget is through March, but picture is better owing to dues and fees coming in during the month of April. The total cash is $684k. We like to have $100k for reserves so we are on track.
We sent out 150 invitations for full season guests and got 111 back – so a bit higher than estimated. Steve provided details.
The treasurers are trying to assess how to reflect depreciation – Matt W said it can be listed under cash reserve. They will also add the swim and dive salaries for next the iteration.
Kara asked about where the loan is reflected in our budget. Steve said that we are paying principal and interest, but only interest is reflected in the budget as an expense.
Steve gave a run down on what each line item included.
Matt W suggested that each committee chair contribute more detail to their associated line item.
Steve did a draft of the 990 and the need to check “yes” that the Board has taken a look at it. Asked all Board members to review it and let him know any questions or comments by May 20 after which he will electronically file it.
Lara mentioned some issues with the audit about tying MemberSplash, Authorize.net (credit card company) and bank data and finding a way to align those transactions into QuickBooks. Will share it with Peter Dunkelberger and other members of the audit committee in a few weeks so they can see what they’ve done.
VI. Committee Updates
a. Membership – Steve provided an update advising we made it down the vast percent of the waitlist. Complimented Linda and Kara who have done a ton to get us through the membership offer process.
Matt B asked if we have a daily attendance figure so we can assess pool usage in context of trying to figure out how many different guest categories to offer. MemberSplash allows for that – need to download the data and analyze it. However, we only know who’s checking in, not who’s checking out so don’t know when the pool is too crowded. Managers should have a sense of that.
Maren asked why people are turning down Full Season Guest passes. We need to dig into this more. And we might need to change our policy to “take it or go to bottom of waitlist” as other clubs do.
b. Building & Grounds – Mowing & More came on April 27. Trash and recycling haven’t been picked up – Fred will check on that.
c. Tennis – There are currently men’s singles and doubles tennis tournaments going on for the next two weeks or so. Also, Enrichment Academy is offering kids tennis lessons each Monday. The men’s and women’s tennis teams start up in mid-May and will occupy all three courts from 5:00pm to 8:00pm each Tuesday and Thursday. Dave is still waiting on the second quote for the new windscreens on courts one and two.
d. Swim & Dive Teams – All coaches have accepted offers from Lighthouse. Dive Team enrollment is at 42 and Swim Team is at 160 so far. Back-to-Pool Night is May 26.
e. Operations – Handyman Day went well. Have a list of tasks for this Saturday but the forecast calls for rain.
Social – Friday, May 27 is the scheduled Adult Happy Hour/Opening Reception at which we will be honoring Chuck and Teri. We will open up invitations to former members. The 32 confronting and adjoining neighbors are also invited. Two days later is the Memorial Day picnic.
Steve proposed to hire a contractor to assist the social chairs with events and concessions. Have someone who has done it informally – Linda Norman. Steve counted 3 holiday events, 3 adult socials, and 9 Swim and Dive home meet concessions events amounting to $1600 worth of support but reduced for use of pool for the season ($825). This motion passed unanimously.
Kara is exploring food trucks – they’ve been popular in past.
VII. Other/New Business
a. Status of sharing rules with members and guests – already discussed.
b. Renovation of men’s bathroom and addition of family bathroom – revisiting based on reduced chlorine needs. Eric is getting plans from Cathy to review prior to the next Board meeting. We would need to bring it to the members for a vote. Matt W suggested that there’s a lot we can do with very little $ to create a better men’s bathroom environment including adding a curtain for private changing. Buy a couple of outdoor showers? Explore easy ways to beautify the men’s bathroom in the interim? A subgroup of Board members agreed to tour the bathroom and come up with some interim measures.
c. Swim programs:
There are two water aerobics classes that meet two days/week (on different days of the week).
Jill Berger has proposed to run an emperor penguin class for adults. Twice a week, 7:00am-8:00am or 8:00am-9:00am, $100/person per month, two sessions. Board members approved.
Swim lessons are restricted to Equity Members, Full Season Guests, and End of Season Guests (during the time they are allowed to use the pool).
Parties – need to fill out a form and goes through Lighthouse.
Board agreed that head swim and dive coaches can use the pool during their off hours and bring a family member or guest with them. They log in under “management.”
VIII. Adjourn 9:53pm.
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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—June 1, 2022
7:30pm
Board members present:
Steve Volkers
Matt Wexler
Phil Petrilli
Kara Maciel
Lara Goldberg
Fred Atwood
Matt Berzok
Eric Zuckerman
Maren Matal
Nancy La Vigne
Dave Cuttita
Other attendees:
Cathy Stocker, CLC community representative and lead on new bridge project
Bruce Schaper, Lighthouse Pool Management Co.
Ken Tesch, Lighthouse Pool Management Co.
Meeting convened:
Board President, Steve Volkers congratulated everyone on a successful opening weekend, noting that things appear to be going smoothly, as are Swim and Dive practices. We had a great Memorial Day weekend picnic; Steve thanked all the Board members who stepped up to help.
Approval of Minutes:
The May 4, 2022 LFSC Board meeting minutes were approved unanimously with one small editorial correction to the first sentence.
Lighthouse Pool Management Company Update
Bruce Schaper observed that opening weekend was great and that he saw lots of enthusiasm on the part of staff. Lighthouse and LFSC staff backwashed the intermediate pool several times; showed the guards how to review the filters; recommended the Board contemplate the purchase of a vacuum for the nighttime cleaning of the main pool, which the managers recommend. The Board requested that Lighthouse share some recommendations for vacuums that other pools have used successfully. Lighthouse is planning on training the staff on pump room issues. An issue was addressed to change the default logon to the pool payroll/time recording system to be some other than the last 5 digits of staff social security numbers and that all printed versions of this list be collected and/or destroyed. The use and publication of partial SSNs can make staff’s personal information vulnerable. Lighthouse will work with the company to change this default and has reached out to all staff to destroy the lists and provide instructions on how to change their login information.
Lighthouse noted that one of the receptacle box circuits will not reset and the spotlight at the top of the building is out, requiring an electrician to make a visit.
Capital Construction Projects
Parents with small children access to the Pool
As a carryover from the last Board meeting and a subsequent site visit, there was a review of the family bathroom plans. Eric updated the Board, about the possibility and practicality of installing an outdoor shower to provide an alternative pool access (so that, for example, fathers don’t have to escort their toddler daughters through the men’s room with the potential for unclothed males to be in sight) while complying with County requirements, which requires all people entering the pool to pass by a shower. Eric has a contact with whom he will inquire about an outdoor shower and also how we might tap into a sewage drain. We would also need to look into ADA compliance issues for an outdoor shower.
The Board agreed that a simpler approach would be to allow parents with small children to access the pool through the guard office upon request.
Men’s and Family Bathroom Projects
Eric, Matt W., Fred, and Steve also used the site visit to review renovation plans for the men’s and family bathrooms. When they looked at the original renovation plan, the idea was to be able to do the renovations to both bathrooms at the same time. Because the permitting issues took a long time, the Board was concerned that it would delay the opening of the pool. During conversations, it looks like a family bathroom is the most expensive part of the project. Changing the plumbing might not be as costly. It might be helpful to have Tom Convoy come out and determine what the most expensive pieces of this project are before we go back and get new plans. They proposed to re-engage the architects (SEI) to come up with a redesign; Board members agreed. The goal is to have a simplified version of the renovation options that could be used to solicit member feedback.
Eric and Matt W. will plan to update the Board on the conversations with SEI at the July Board meeting.
Potential Bridge Replacement Study
The Geotech study to look at the soil in the ground to hold the bridge up yielded promising findings from a structural integrity perspective. The next step is to get an engineering firm to complete a load bearing capacity analysis to do a final assessment of what a new bridge could bear. Even if we don’t move forward in the near term, ultimately the bridge will need to be replaced, so having the engineering analysis complete would be an important final planning step. A motion was made to finish out that process, which will cost about another $4,000 for the structural load analysis. Then the next phase would be to draw the design, hire builder, etc., so that we have a general estimate of the full cost of the project, but that would only be if the members decided they wanted to move forward with the bridge.
The Board unanimously approved the expenditure of $4,000 for the bridge structural study to have a full sense of the load capacity of the existing bridge abutments, which would be the foundation for solicitation of cost estimates at a later date.
Expanded Pool Access
The subcommittee exploring expanded pool access (opening earlier in May and/or closing later in September or October), consisting of Maren, Eric, Lara, and Matt W., opening the season a bit earlier and closing a bit later, as well as opening an hour earlier on Sundays, next year. Plan on inviting feedback from members and other stakeholders. Consensus of subcommittee was that the pool should approach the County with a comprehensive proposal. They examined the costs and potential revenues associated with raising membership fees in order to make the proposal cost neutral. They estimate it would cost an additional $50-60,000 to extend the season, which is a conservative (high) estimate. Covering this amount wouldn’t require adding much to the active Equity Fee and End of Season Guests.
Cathy noted that this would only need to go before the Board of Appeals because it is only an operating agreement change not an architectural gain. We may wish to add to the request an adjustment to limitations on use of amplification and ability to serve alcohol at the adult-only events.
Initial meetings with neighbors showed limited concern about the extension of the season for regular operations of the pool. Over the next month the subcommittee and CLC will solicit more feedback including through an open house at the pool one evening at which all members are invited and perhaps they will have a proposal ready for the Board’s consideration in July. Steve reiterated that plan to be two phases: take the comprehensive proposal to amend our special exemption to the County for approval and THEN decide what it will cost and how to present to Equity Members for a vote (providing options and impact on potential dues increases to pay for it).
Community Liaison Committee (Maren/Cathy)
Cathy observed that people are still violating parking restrictions including blocking neighbors’ driveways. Talked about ways to enforce and call out people who are violating the parking restrictions. Need to show the community that we are taking parking restrictions seriously. Maren volunteered to take the lead to communicating the parking restrictions to neighbors via email.
Finance (Lara/Matt)
Lara gave an overview of the financial statements. She thanked Steve for filing the 990 on behalf of the Club. Lara had a great call with former treasurer, Julian Kim, and learned a lot of helpful information which Lara made into a checklist. They are on top of most things but there’s one insurance issue that needs to be addressed. Steve set up Venmo and Square and now everything’s cashless. We will be flexible with cash (some parents prefer that) but encourage cashless. This applies to Swim and Dive concessions too. We will explore alternative payment measures for next season.
Year to dates: Lara presented the new financial statement that shows YTD totals against the FY budget. She noted that there’s always a 30-day lag on balances at these meetings, so we never know the exact balance. It’s also the case that the End of Season Guests don’t pay until a bit later, so there’s a lag there too. Nonetheless, she predicts that we will break even based on our budgeted expenses and our anticipated revenue. Cash on hand is about $600,000. We don’t want to add a lot of costs but there may be some extra money in certain line items. Fred noted a calculation error in the numbers, so we need to scrutinize this and do some quality control.
Reminder: July Board meeting is open to the community and traditionally held at the pool. Given the date is later, July 12, we should be able to have YTD numbers through June to share.
Matt W. expressed interest to dig more into the budget and cash flow projections to understand the operating needs and reserve thresholds to better predict the cash available for the desired capital improvements and season extension costs. Matt and the finance team will try to have more answers in July.
Committee Reports
Membership: 341 Active Equity Members (4 are legacy SLUP). 32 Equity Members chose to be Inactive this year. We had 15 members resign or go Senior Emeritus who were replaced with new members. We had 118 Senior Emeriti, 113 Full Season Guest, and 102 End of Season Guest. Only 32 people (~10%) on the waitlist were not offered swim privileges of some kind. A rough estimate is that we have another $25,000 in membership revenue that is not reflected in the numbers that Lara presented (to be collected in May). Kara and Steve want to review the registration process and come back to the Board in November with a revised plan for next year.
Building and Grounds: Stormwater issue: Fred created a makeshift drain system to address the pooling on the front lawn. Added gravel and removed some of the wood beams to prevent water from collecting. He will monitor how that has worked and request bids to finish the job. Garbage issue: Do we need to fence in the garbage receptacles? We will label trash for plastic and metal. Need to find out if the trash company recycles paper.
Exterminator? Do we have a pest control contract? Rats/racoons have been getting into waste left around on the property. Ask managers to patrol for trash and trash violations.
Bathroom: Hand soap for ladies’ room and showers aren’t working properly.
Chairs/umbrellas: Steve presented a proposal for the purchase of some new umbrellas, lounge chairs, and upright chairs. There are some tables that are missing umbrella posts. Could also use a few more lounges and chairs. Received a contract in the amount of $6,600. The Board approved the motion to purchase the chairs and umbrellas as part of an annual replacement plan. Ping pong tables need better nets. Will review.
Tennis: Men’s singles and doubles continuing, as is the kids’ tennis camp. Men’s and women’s teams continue to play. The lock on one of the courts is a problem. The padlocks are not routinely being locked by members.
Swim and Dive: We’re at 225 swimmers/divers registered right now – a record! Back to Pool (Meet the Coaches was last Thursday) – Huge success. New coach is awesome. Dive and Swim teams started practices this week. Time trials June 11 will postpone pool opening until Noon. First home B meet, Wednesday, June 15.
The team managers want the Board to consider offering stipends to some of the junior coaches, realizing how many little ones we’re going to have on pre-team and nestlings. The Board has concerns about crossing over into compensation vs. volunteer structure of those roles. Matt was going to circle back and discuss this with the team reps.
Operations: Camera systems installed and working well, other than the receptable circuit issue mentioned earlier that is causing the dive well camera to not work.
29 Handyman Day households requested refunds; 5 elected for guest passes.
Nancy thanked Board members for their headshots so that members and staff alike can recognize us and seek our counsel as needed.
Social: Happy hour cancelled but Memorial Day picnic was a huge success. Nancy suggested that we post photos of the event.
June 18 – fiesta theme – ask Lighthouse to assign guards help to get picnic areas set up at 5:00pm. Pool closed at 6:00pm. Catering from Surfside. Contests, door prizes, etc.
July 16 – trivia night and BBQ or wine tasting.
End of season – August 27 – proposed final event right before school starts.
Trying to do 2-3 Sunday movie nights after Swim/Dive season ends.
We also have July 4 and Labor Day picnics.
Linda Norman has been amazing!
Adjournment
The Board meeting adjourned at 9:36pm.
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Minutes of LFSC Board Meeting—July 14, 2022
Board members present:
Steve Volkers
Eric Zuckerman
Matt Berzok
Matt Wexler
Fred Atwood
Kara Maciel
David Cuttita (via phone)
Also present:
Bruce Schaper, Lighthouse Pool Management Co.
JD Gorman, Pool Manager
I. Motion to approve revised minutes. Second. Approved by unanimous consent.
II. Lighthouse Pool Management report – Bruce Schaper reported that the season is going well and they are currently working to ensure that the pool remains clean of debris from trees and acorns. Board members expressed thanks to Bruce who was at the pool early Saturday morning after the storm cleaning the pool bottom before a swim meet. A discussion ensued about whether there are other trees that can be cut back to avoid debris, which would help and it would be more enjoyable because there would be less debris covering the deck.
A Board member raised a question about the variable speed on the pump and whether it needs readjusting since it continues to blow the fuses. Bruce reported that there haven’t been any further blow outs; JD reported that it would cycle down to zero and back up again, so they are reviewing the variable speed pumps. They haven’t observed any negative effects with the water issue.
A Board member shared a complaint by a member about how the chairs were not properly arranged on the pool deck when the pool opened in the morning; Bruce said he would ensure that guards attend to that.
Another Board member raised an issue of the number of bounces allowed on the diving board. Some guards are on top of it and other guards don’t monitor it as much.
A Board member asked that the cover be removed from the ADA pool lift when the pool is in operation.
A question was asked about the quantity of the chlorine as well as whether we have enough trash cans. Bruce responded that the chlorine and trash trucks are accessing the pool through the alley and things seems to being going smoothly.
A Board member asked to have the guards encourage members and guests to pick up their trash around the pool deck.
A Board member asked staff to monitor the lost & found shelves and encourage members to collect their items and then consider donating any remaining items to a non-profit.
III. Men’s and Family Bathroom Project
Eric shared that he reached out to John Chadwick to discuss the renovation and that John suggested Eric go right to SEI, the architect. Matt and Eric met with SEI to discuss a modified renovation plan. The goals would be to retain the original plans for the family changing room in accordance with ADA compliance which requires relocation of the showers. For the men’s bathhouse, they discussed a more modest proposal: removing one of the showers and adding partitions for privacy, adding some private changing stalls, replacing all the plumbing fixtures, new tile, paint, cosmetic renovation, and modifying the ramp out because it interferes with the family changing room. For the ramp, it was not built pursuant to ADA specs and we want to make it better from an accessibility perspective.
SEI sent a proposal to draw up architectural plans for this project, at $16,600. A Board member moved that the Board approve up to $17,000 for engaging of SEI to draw up architectural plans to get us to a permit, but that we allow Eric and Matt to review the final contract before we sign it. Discussion ensued: there is a line item in the budget for renovation planning and there are some reserves in the budget. Matt felt comfortable that there was sufficient space within the budget to make this possible. Motion was approved by unanimous consent. After receiving the architectural plans we will then obtain a permit and request bids for a general contractor.
IV. Committee Updates:
a. Expanded Hours Committee
Matt updated the Board on the concept of extending the pool season and the hours of operation. Over the past month or so since the last Board meeting they have formally and informally been talking with members, the CLC, and the closest neighbors. Matt has spoken to 58 members and 57 of them were extremely excited about extending the season. Other members of the committee have been talking with other members. There is one neighbor who expressed concern about potential noise issues. The Board resolves that they can address some of the noise related concerns by limiting the use of the dive well during early morning Sunday hours. Board members reported conversations they have had with families who are adjoining and abutting and a new family has expressed support. It was determined that we should convene another CLC meeting to discuss the potential for renovations and also the extension of hours, during which we can talk about the benefits and what the Board will do to address any noise concerns.
b. CLC Committee
We got some signs printed for the parking issues. A Board member suggested getting small lawn signs that say no parking for swim and dive meets to post along Little Falls Drive.
c. Finance
Matt provided the current financial report and reviewed the P&L statement as of June 30 at the high level. Report shows that we have about $517k in cash in the two bank accounts. As of the end of June, we are about $9k below our anticipated revenue but that will be mitigated by future guest revenue. From an expense side, we are on track with our budget. Assuming that our expenses match our projected expenses at the end of the fiscal year, we should have about $250k in cash reserves starting into the next year. We should consider what level of cash reserve should be used for emergencies. In the past, the Board has held reserves of at least $100k.
Matt reviewed the loan documents – it’s a 15-year loan with a balloon payment towards the end, with a fixed interest rate. Matt reported that is something that we can manage as a pool Board.
Steve expressed appreciation for Matt for his leadership in reviewing the expenses and ensuring we are on solid footing for budgeting for next year.
IV. Committee Updates:
a. Expanded Hours Committee
Matt updated the Board on the concept of extending the pool season and the hours of operation. Over the past month or so since the last Board meeting they have formally and informally been talking with members, the CLC and the closest neighbors. Matt has spoken to 58 members and 57 of them were extremely excited about extending the season. Other members of the committee have been talking with other members. There is one neighbor who expressed concern about potential noise issues. The Board resolves that they can address some of the noise related concerns by limiting the use of the dive well during early morning Sunday hours. Board members reported conversations they have had with families who are adjoining and abutting and a new family has expressed support. Determined that we should convene another CLC meeting to discuss the potential for renovations and also the extension of hours, during which we can talk about the benefits and what the Board will do to address any noise concerns.
b. CLC Committee
We got some signs printed for the parking issues. A Board member suggested getting small lawn signs that say no parking for swim and dive meets to post along Little Falls Drive.
c. Finance
Matt provided the current financial report and reviewed the P&L statement as of June 30 at the high level. Report shows that we have about $517k in cash in the two bank accounts. As of the end of June, we are about $9k below our anticipated revenue but that will be mitigated by future guest revenue. From an expense side, we are on track with our budget. Assuming that our expenses match our projected expenses at the end of the fiscal year, we should have about $250k in cash reserves starting into the next year. We should consider what level of cash reserve should be used for emergencies. In the past, the Board has held reserves of at least $100k.
Matt reviewed the loan documents – it’s a 15-year loan with a balloon payment towards the end, with a fixed interest rate. Matt reported that is something that we can manage as a pool Board.
Steve expressed appreciation for Matt for his leadership in reviewing the expenses and ensuring we are on solid footing for budgeting for next year.
d. Membership
The Board discussed implementing some new best practices for next year, such as requiring members apply to be inactive. A Board member raised the issue of allowing Full Season Guests to bring guests. It was decided that we will have that discussion as a Board in the fall.
A Board member asked a question about whether there could be community groups that are sponsored who include non-members.
e. Building & Grounds
Fred reported that the pool received another load of wood chips to keep the paths looking good. Fred did some mowing and weeding along the side of the parking lot.
We’ve been having issues with the kitchen fuses blowing during swim meets; we got extra outlets installed in the kitchen and should be good. The freezer is now on its own outlet. We want to run a conduit from the pool house and the lights to the back of the parking lot and run a line along the tennis courts. The electrician prepared the light that shines down over the guard house. We may not need an additional parking lot light but it’s something to think about. We will need to look at expanding the fuse box because we will need to add new fuse slots and will need to invite bids to expand to a second fuse box, which could involve moving the hot water heater because there is no space to add a second box and it would involve increasing the amps. A suggestion was made to include the parking lot electricity issues in the context of the family and men’s bathroom renovations. A Board member suggested to assess it with the all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing issues and coordinate a proposal with a second opinion.
A discussion ensued about the recent trespassing by teens and the Board’s response. Steve will try and get the videos and share with the Board.
f. Tennis
Dave got a second bid from Metropolitan tennis on the screens and it was higher than the original bid so he authorized All Pro to replace the screens, which should happen in 4-6 weeks.
g. Swim & Dive
This is last week of the full season of the swim and dive season. The Fun Meet is next week with the banquet on Sunday, July 24. The Penguin Swim Team is hoping to end the season at 3-2 and came in second in the relay carnival.
There was a request from the Swim and Dive team to use their proceeds from concessions and other fundraisers to provide bonuses for the junior coaches. MCPS guidelines provides that students who earn SSL hours should not receive financial compensation from their non-profit sponsor. However, some of the junior coaches are not public school students and are not receiving SSL hours. It was suggested that any junior coaches earning SSL hours should receive bonuses from the parent fund.
h. Operations
Nothing to report.
i. Social
The social events have gone well this summer. Our second social event is Saturday with a Spanish wine tasting theme. We have exceeded the number of tickets expected.
We need a theme for the August social event because the trivia person is not available.
Matt is working on trying to set up movies for kids over the summer.
j. Motion to adjourn. The meeting adjourned at 9:45pm.