Membership Dues FAQs
/As a final reminder, all club membership dues will increase by $50 beginning April 1. Like many private clubs and businesses that depend on dues to stay solvent, for over 60 years, a late fee clause has also been a part of our own club bylaws established by member volunteers. This year more than ever, it is important that we follow our bylaws to ensure our club stays on track during its largest capital infusion ever.
In 2023 The club introduces an all new pool
Members have donated (given with no expectation of return) tens of thousands of dollars while others have loaned the club tens of thousands more. As good stewards of their contributions, and the many thousands of hours others have invested in sweat equity, it is important that all members understand and follow the bylaws of our club agreed upon during their initiation. Your volunteer board has worked hard to communicate all membership expectations over the last few months in particular, as we approach the April 1 deadline.
All changes to memberships were discussed thoroughly at last year’s annual meeting and we encourage all members to participate this coming October so your voice can be heard.
To better accommodate individuals and families of all sizes and needs, over the years our club has split membership options into several different options. So, the topic of dues is one that can admittedly, take a moment of consideration for members.
Dues fall into two primary categories: Club Memberships and Tennis/Social memberships. Club memberships offer full access to club amenities while the tennis/social option has recently been revived to accommodate those interested in basically everything but pool deck access.
To apply for a new membership or renew your previous year membership, simply head to our “join or renew” page and follow the prompts.
Below are some more recently, frequently asked questions that we hope will clear up any misunderstandings about your 2023 dues:
Pricing
In researching comparable clubs and recreation options, it has been determined that we have charged too little for too long. However, this year it is important to note that only family dues increased by $50 for 2023.
Monthly Payments
Please note that a monthly payment option is now available for all membership types.
Maintenance fee
Volunteer time was part of the original charter of this club.
The idea was that members would participate in routine tasks around the property to save money and keep our dues low. In fact, our records from the 60’s indicate volunteer coordinators were quite persuasive in chasing down members to fulfill their obligations.
The maintenance fee is an opportunity for members to pay instead of volunteer, yet another option introduced to accommodate all kinds of membership needs. This fee was changed from $50 to $100 in 2023, since recent years have seen a decreasing percentage of members who volunteer. The increase was also deemed necessary to cover the costs we pay to service providers to complete work that volunteers performed in the past.
In 2023, this became mandatory upfront because it was impossible to collect if a membership did NOT complete their volunteer hours. Unfortunately, many members chose to ignore this obligation, and the club was left without both a maintenance fee and valuable volunteer time.
About our expenses
Fixed Expenses have increased by over $10,000 from last year, mostly due to increases in pool management costs as well as other businesses passing their cost increases on to us. This increase does NOT include the annual repayment on the renovation loan.
What you can do to help
If you take a walk around the grounds, you will see all the repairs, upkeep and major projects that still need addressed: Parking lot, tennis courts, dumpster surround, major tree removal, drainage issues behind the pool, pavilion upkeep, general landscaping, etc. In addition, there are plenty of “non labor” tasks that need addressed, like running errands, managing volunteers or even taking a bit of time to write an FAQ document to post on the club’s website. 😉
Anyone can contribute something. In fact, an eight-year-old kid did this blog post.
If you would like to discuss unique ways you can contribute outside of a scheduled work day, just contact the board to discuss and coordinate specifics.