Message from the President

January 23, 2006

Dear Members:

The past year was an important one in the history of Mountain View Country Club.

New Clubhouse

The new clubhouse was built within budget and ahead of schedule. The old clubhouse was demolished on September 6, and construction of the new clubhouse was completed by mid-November. This was a team effort, with special credit going to Mark Stewart, the architect; Ned Fauser, the Construction Manager; Rob Brigham, Clerk of the Works for the project; Clubhouse Task Force members Gwen Mann, Janet Patterson and Lanny King who spent countless hours on the design and planning process; and Bill Eisner who chaired the Clubhouse Capital Campaign Committee.

The building is insulated, and the basement is heated. There is a gas fireplace in the clubroom that warms the room quickly, making it useable in early spring and late fall. You will note on the enclosed schedule that the first official event planned for the new clubhouse is Fireside Cocktails on Saturday, May 27^th . The grand opening will take place on Sunday, July 2^nd, with a family picnic and live music followed by the town’s fireworks.

Due to the generosity of more than 100 members who donated voluntarily in excess of $233,000 to the Clubhouse Capital Campaign, the remaining financial cost to the general membership is limited to amortization of a $200,000 ten-year mortgage. An anonymous donor offered the Club a gift of $5,000 if $15,000 in new donations is raised since the amount received as of the date of the Annual Meeting. About $4,000 remains to be raised to meet the challenge. If you have not yet donated to the campaign or want to increase your donation, it is not too late.

In addition, money is needed for items not included in the building budget, such as landscaping, clubroom furniture, porch furniture, new awning, pro shop furniture and storage cabinets, and a tent pad big enough to accommodate large groups that will generate rental income for the club. To facilitate making a donation, a line has been added on the enclosed dues form.

Membership

For many years, there was a long waiting period to join the Club for those who were not legacies or part of the Greensboro community. This has changed over the last few years; there is no waiting list, and qualified applicants can join the Club with no delay. Dues and initiation fees are the principal source of income for the Club. Keeping dues low depends in large part in attracting new members to replace those who leave. The 2006 budget assumes 10 new members.

The Board has analyzed membership demographics extensively for more than three years, and the Membership Committee was asked to come up with some pro-active initiatives to attract new members, and policies to discourage non-members from gaming the Club. The Board approved the following Membership Committee recommendations:

• Promote the Junior Membership category. The dues of junior members up to age 35 are reduced by 50% for all dues categories (single, dual or family). In addition, the initiation fee is reduced to $500 for ages 21-24, $750 for ages 25-34 and $1,000 for ages 35-39. Initiation fees can be paid over three years with a surcharge.

• Promote the new clubhouse as a reason to join the Club – Hardwick Gazette, web site, word-of-mouth, etc.

• Married members with only one member actively using the Club’s playing facilities are encouraged to sign up for the dual category of membership.

• Assign a member of the Membership Committee to get to know potential new members and work with the sponsoring member to ensure a full introduction to the Club. After acceptance, the Membership Committee will make new members feel welcome by inviting them to participate in Club events.

• To introduce the Club to potential new members, we have created a new, one-time only,
  weekly Usage Permit not to exceed four weeks, and managed by the Membership Committee. This permit will grant full usage of the Club’s facilities with the exception of member tournaments. A brochure will be produced for the local inns, camp renters in Greensboro and golfers in surrounding communities that will include a description of this offer and the Club’s facilities. An application will be included in Watson Agency rental agreements. We will also contact Vermont tourism websites, asking them to link to our updated website. The cost of the Usage Permit is: single $80 per week, dual $125 per week and family $150 per week.

• The senior membership category (over 80) will no longer be available after January 1, 2007. Senior members as of January 1, 2007 can continue to elect senior membership. It should be noted that senior membership is for one person only.

• Non-members may use the facilities of the Club as a guest of a member five times per year. Thereafter, the non-member must register as a visitor, pay the visitor fees and is not permitted to play golf before 1 p.m. on weekdays or at any time on weekends in July and August.

The pro shop staff will be responsible to control these procedures, and the cooperation of members is needed to sign in themselves and their guests.

Golf

The course was in excellent condition last season, and our thanks go to Brian Niemi, the Green Committee and Scott Rossi and his team. As reported last year, we had considered the purchase of an additional mower with verticut reels; this was purchased, resulting in increased productivity of the grounds crew. The price of fertilizer increased rapidly in the fall due to higher crude prices and Hurricane Katrina, and we pre-bought 2006 fertilizer, resulting in significant savings. In addition to maintaining the golf course, the grounds staff mows the practice area, which is equivalent to another five holes. They do this with a staff of three for around $88,000 a year, a cost that must be some sort of record.

Tennis

Unfortunately, Dick Bashaw is not returning this year to run the tennis program. We have several leads for a tennis pro, but at this moment we do not have anyone signed up. If anyone has a suggestion, please let either Clark Maser or Andrea Perham know. New England Tennis, a company specializing in maintaining clay courts in New Hampshire, Maine and Vermont, has been hired to open up the courts in the spring and shut them down in the fall.

Youth Activities

The club membership is growing older. The future of the club will be determined by today’s youth. The Youth Activities Committee that was formed about three years ago by parents of teen age and younger children has been a great success. Up to 50 kids showed up at youth nights last year, and starting on July 5th this summer, activities are planned every Wednesday night for seven weeks. There is no charge for children of members; non-members will be asked to pay $5. Parents are needed to chaperone and are also welcome to stay and visit with other parents while they wait for their kids. Golf pull carts will be stored in the basement of the clubhouse, and the existing cart house will revert to its original use as a place for young people to play. The children of today are the members of the future.

In Brief

• The dues notice for 2006 is enclosed. We are pleased that there has been no increase in dues since last year.

• The Bylaws were amended and approved at the Annual Meeting in August. Copies of the amended Bylaws will be available at the pro shop.
  

• Janet Long retired as the Treasurer of the Club last summer. She was a great asset to the Club, and we appreciate her many years of dedicated service. Janet retires with our thanks and best wishes.

• Jennifer Lucas was appointed Assistant Treasurer and has assumed responsibility for the day-to-day financial management of the Club.

• Now that we have a modern clubhouse, we want to use it for informal events to provide an opportunity for members to get to know each other better. One idea is to have a Happy Hour on Friday, July 7 and 14, as well as August 4 and 18 at 5:30 pm. The Club will provide set ups and snacks; bring your favorite drink, enjoy the new building and visit with your fellow members.

• Several members have expressed an interest in having some workout equipment such as an elliptical machine, exercise bike or rowing machine, either in the existing cart shed or basement of the new clubhouse. To implement this initiative, donations of equipment would be welcome.

• Some members have expressed an interest in having yoga, Pilates or exercise classes two or three mornings a week in the clubhouse. This is in the idea stage, and if anyone has a suggestion of someone to run it, please let me know.

• Henry Merrill, a long-term member of the Club, has a collection of photos that record the history of the Club since its founding more than 100 years ago. The History Committee is producing a small book of these photos with captions. The book will cost $12 and will be available this summer. To give us some idea of how many copies to print, it would be helpful if you indicate on the dues form if you want to buy the book. This is a unique opportunity to buy a collector’s item.

Best wishes for a healthy and happy New Year. I look forward to seeing you in the summer.

Sincerely,
Henry King

"Would anyone like to donate a set of no-longer-needed clubs, with or without bag, to the Club to be used as rentals in the coming season. As part of cleaning out the old Pro Shop, the Maintenance Committee and Jo-Anne decided not to save the current rental clubs, as they were well past their prime." Thanks, Mike Lammert