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It has been some months since the club has formally given you a news update in a few areas which I know have been causing some discussion amongst the membership. So here goes as my first as stand-in for our Club Captain, Philip Wade, who as I am sure you know is on an extended period of sick leave. We all hope that Philip will be back amongst us ready to pick up the reins again and everyone wishes him a successful period of treatment leading to him regaining a clean bill of health.
The Pavilion Refurbishment
It is four months since the last update, and your General Committee want to keep the membership informed of developments. Several obstacles have stood in our way over the past few months, the main one being that to complete the full refurbishment the tender costs rose to a sum that the General Committee felt that we could not proceed without jeopardising the financial security of the club and that to complete it would require further external or internal funding. The Club Treasurer produced extensive cash flow projections and this clearly showed the position we would be in if we had proceeded at that stage. This problem has arisen in part due to increased requirements in the refurbishment such as for example a disabled toilet facility and also due to the increased costs of building materials since our initial projections. Also we had unforeseen expenditure on the Squash Courts, where rightly, we went ahead with measures to ensure the courts would not be flooded again and left our ‘free cash’ projections with a shortfall. To refurbish the Squash Courts was a unanimous decision of the committee as we did not want to destroy the multi-sport culture of the club.
However we do have some good news in that it has been decided to go ahead with the long overdue refurbishment of the bar, together with improving the rear bar storage facilities to provide a better experience for club members and their guests. In addition the much needed upgrade to the bar storage areas will improve such things as health and safety, enhanced beer and wines storage, added security and make life easier for our suppliers to deliver. This can be safely done within our current funding and as soon as we have got the final prices in for this stand-alone project we will proceed.
The other more major development and refurbishment of the whole of the club including changing room facilities, which the General Committee believes is desirable for the long-term prosperity and success of our Club, is still a priority and we must remember it is over 20 years since our last refurbishment! Understandable comments have been heard from members along the lines that we should improve the sporting facilities first before we have any plans for redevelopment. I would like to assure everyone that the two are not mutually exclusive. We have just upgraded the squash courts and both the tennis and rowing sections have sinking funds (unfortunate term for the rowers!) whereby we put a sum away every year for court refurbishment or replacement or boat replacement. Thus I would like to assure all members that we will upgrade the sporting facilities when the time is right and the relevant committees keep a watching brief on this. The General Committee feel that to have excellent sporting facilities should be matched with an equally good ‘off-sport’ experience.
To help us achieve these desirable ends a Fund Raising committee has been set up with the sole purpose to raise the funds from a wide variety of sources to enable the club to make a firm decision on going forward with the whole plan by the AGM in 2009. This Fund Raising committee consists of some extremely able and capable members who have operated at the very highest levels in business and commerce. It is chaired by Nigel Rose and currently the other members are Tom Smeaton, Dick Williiams and David Sleath. They, I am sure will look to co-opt other club members and any ideas and input you may have would be welcomed.
The plans, ideas, and future development of the club are all to do with the membership – you – and we always appreciate your interest and constructive comments. The plans are always available for viewing, just contact a Committee member. Alternatively email admin@warwickboatclub.co.uk and this will be forwarded to the appropriate person.
I believe your committee has been prudent in the handling of this project and whilst recognising its importance for the longer term, wanted to ensure that it would not have a deleterious impact on the financial health of this wonderful club.
Many thanks for your interest – in YOUR Club!!
CAR PARK
This is an area that never ceases to amaze me. Less than 50% of the membership potentially has access to the car park yet it is a topic that generates more debate, ill-feeling and incident than any other within the club.
The new proximity card reader together with the new computer and software system are working perfectly. However it appears that some members are still trying to beat the system. We are however getting a new piece of hardware that will not allow any car to exit that has not been deemed to enter the car park. I think at this point it is worth reiterating the major car park rules.
MEMBERS SHOULD NOT ENTER THE DRIVE UNLESS THE DRIVE IS CLEAR OF OTHER CARS AND EXPRESSLY MUST NOT DO SO IF THEY SEE A CAR EXITING THE CAR PARK. – REMEMBER THE WIDE AREAS IN FRONT OF OUR NEIGHBOURS GARAGES ARE NOT PASSING PLACES THEY ARE PRIVATE PROPERY.
SIMILARLY MEMBERS SHOULD NOT EXIT THE CAR PARK IF THERE IS A CAR ALREADY IN THE DRIVE.
MEMBERS SHOULD NOT ENTER THE DRIVE IF THE RED LIGHT INDICATING THE CAR PARK IS FULL IS ON. THERE ARE TWO LIGHTS, ONE AT THE END OF THE DRIVE ATTACHED TO THE NEIGHBOURS HOUSE AND ONE IMMEDIATELY IN FRONT OF THE CAR PARK. BOTH ARE READILY VISIBLE AND MUST NOT BE IGNORED.
PLEASE PARK WITHIN THE SPACES PROVIDED. TO TAKE UP MORE THAN ONE SPACE MEANS ANOTHER MEMBER CANNOT PARK EVEN THOUGH THE RED LIGHT WILL NOT BE ON AND THEY WILL BE LET IN. THIS IS SELFISH AND INCONSIDERATE.
We are now making the following changes and improvements to the system and car park.
1. From the 18th August the exit bar time will be confirmed as 30 minutes. This means you will not be able to exit the car park until 30 minutes have expired and once you have left the car park you will not be able to re-enter for 30 minutes. Remember this is what you signed up for when you got your proximity card.
2. We are going to do some major refurbishment work in the car park in that the pipe that currently discharges water from the squash court will lengthened and measures will be put in place to ensure that any water does not wash back into the car park as currently happens and is responsible for the boggy state of various areas. We will build up the level at the bottom of car park with hardcore and generally tidy the whole car park up. After that we will repaint the markers and take up the bricks that also indicate the spaces, repaint and the replace them in an endeavour to make the delineated spaces as obvious as possible.
I know some of you feel the neighbours can be a little difficult on occasions but remember it is a shared facility and we must treat the neighbour’s with courtesy at all times.
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The planning phase for the refurbishment and improvements to the Clubhouse continue. Pulling the scheme together has been a complicated and drawn out process, but the team, consisting of Derek Whitehead and Helen Gloster, our Architect: Martin Smart, Interior Design Consultant: Peter Grant, Bar Refurbishment: Richard Foster-Hall, together with help and input from Janette George, Hazel Lancashire and Colin Cummins, have been working continuously over the past months to put together the document for tendering to the builders.
Plans are available for any member to see so please ask any of the above members, or anyone on the General Committee, if you have any questions. If all goes according to plan, we would hope to start work sometime in August, with the works completed well in time for the Christmas festivities. The Club is in a secure financial position to embrace these plans, the first serious refurbishment for over 20 years, and we hope that you, as Club members, will appreciate the work involved in achieving the works with as little disruption to your enjoyment of the club as possible. For this reason we feel that the period between September and November, being some of the quieter months of the year, will be the best time to carry out the works.
Whilst our Treasurer has approved the ability to fund this project, it would obviously be advantageous to encourage fund raising in any capacity, and Philip Wade, our Club Captain, would be delighted to hear from any member who would like to assist in this area – from Lottery, Grants, or from our members themselves!
Thanks for reading this, and hopefully we will please most of our Members for the majority of this project, whether they are aged 5 or 85!!
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We have now received Planning Permission for the scheme that your General Committee have put forward. A plan is on display in the clubhouse for your information and any constructive comments that you might have.
It is over 20 years since the clubhouse has undergone a comprehensive refurbishment and these proposals, in various forms, have been in the offing for several years. The Club is in a position to finance approximately 75% of the works, and we shall be investigating various options to finance the balance.
The Brief:
To provide multi-functional and flexible, social, eating and meeting spaces for all sections of the club membership.
The main objectives are as follows:
To achieve an Open Plan environment, with the flexibility to provide screened off meeting rooms when needed.
Extension to the Bar/Lounge area (where the green gazebo is).
Refurbishment of the Bar, including Bar store extension.
Natural light to be introduced to the main dining area.
Improved area for juniors.
Improvements to the Ladies Changing Room.
Interior decorations.
Proposed Timescale:
Deadline for any member feedback on the proposals by 14th September 2007
Preparation of detailed brief for tender - October
Appointment of Contractor - November
Anticipated commencement of works early in 2008
The plan is to execute the works in two consecutive phases whilst maintaining club facilities and keeping disruption to a minimum.
Any comments or questions should be sent by email to admin@warwickboatclub.co.uk or by speaking to a General Committee Member.
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