My eye surgery plus a busy month has put me a bit behind in getting this month’s update out. There continues to be much activity at club and our membership continues to grow. We are currently at 88 memberships with the potential to reach 90 by the end of September. Our newest member are Jason and Janice Paul and their children Sophia, Ransom, Judah, Evangeline and Jesse. They have already enjoyed the beach as well as having a chance to sail.
For those using the beach we have been experimenting with ways to eliminate the goose population from leaving a mess on the beach. Along the shore Line you will see stakes with line running between the stakes. On the beach itself there is a mesh net stretched across the beach to restrict their movement. If you are using the beach simply move the mesh aside a put it back when you leave. If you have ideas toward this effort please contact Charlie Earhardt or Jake Dunnuck. We are willing to try anything that would eliminate the problem.
You will notice 9 stakes at various locations around the club. Last spring 3 large oak trees were removed from the property as safety hazards due to rot. The city will be replacing those three trees with 9 new native trees. The city has asked us to stake out where where we would like to see the trees with a plan to plant them in the fall. The board. Will review the placement of the stakes and notify Kelli Mcclellan Muncie City Arborist) that our review is complete and they can proceed with the planting. The city will have the final say as to where the trees will be placed. The trees will all be hardwood trees and will be a mixture of oaks and maples.
As we approach the end of the sailing season we are making plans for preparing the club for winter. All stationary docks will be removed at the end of October and we will be looking for volunteers to remove these docks. More details later. With the floating docks we will be able to offer late season sailing as we have for the last three seasons. People on floating docks will be given priority on extending their stay followed by everyone else. If you think that you will be extending your season you will need to notify Steve Scherschel (Harbormaster) by October 15 so that we can make appropriate assignments. Keep in mind that the house will be closed and water will be turned off at the end of October. We will also expect thise who extend the season to help with the final closing of the launch ramp and allowing the floating docks to move freely.
As we look to the future we are in the process of forming various teams to to take on repetitive tasks that allow the knowledge of older members to be passed down and to engage members to participate in the real workings of the and allow for new ideas to be considered and implemented. At this time are imitating 5 teams that will start working on current activities and others which will prepare for implementation next spring. These teams will require a broad spectrum of skills strong organizational skills to very physical skills. In most cases involvement will not require more than a few hours a month with some functioning all year and others operating on an on demand basis. Below is a summary of the current teams we are forming with a brief description of the skills required.
Team Descriptions:
House & Grounds Team:
Team Contacts: Jake Dunnuck & Charlie Earhardt
Purpose:
Maintain and improve MSC property
Team Size: 5-6 people
Responsibilies:
- Open and close clubhouse
- Document instructions on how to open and close the house and maintain facilities like water and remote power
- Maintain property by cleanliness of property including beach area making sure debris and trash is removed.
- Maintain flag poles including the raising and lowering flags as necessary.
- Maintain the lighthouse in working order and document maintenance procedure and timing of maintenance
Orientation of New Members:
Team Contact: Jane Wiechel
Purpose:
Orienting new members to the club, prepare handbook, assemble new member packet, work with Social Committee to create welcome events
Team Size: 3-4 people
Responsibilities:
- Collect existing documents both current and historical (By-laws, rules, Flagship, etc.)
- Create & maintain new member handbook
- Create & distribute new member packet
- Develop a plan and process for orientation
Dock Installation Team:
Team Contact: Joe Kucharski
Purpose:
Create & maintain subassemblies for the floating dock system to include the assembly of the the floating dock system.
Team Size: 4-6 people
Responsibilities:
- Maintain “Dock Installation Manual
- Assemble components necessary to secure floating docks
- Place anchors in accordance with installation instructions
- Conduct periodic inspection of anchoring system
- Map anchor locations
Archivist:
Team Contact: Joe Kucharski
Purpose:
Maintain a central of all club documents including manuals, warranties, instructions and maintatainance records.
Team Size: 1-2 people
Purpose:
- Create a repository for all club documents, instructions, manuals and warrantees.
- Update files adding new documents and purging obsolete or expired documents.
Safety Coordinator:
Team Contact: Mike Pace
Purpose:
Create a resource to develop and maintain a system of inspections of club boats, develop safety training programs for club members, inspect and maintain club safety equipment including first aid kits, defibrillators, life jackets and other rescue =equipment.
Team Size: 2-3 people
Responsibilities:
- Inspect & maintain safety equipment for all club boats
- Conduct regular inspections and maintain inspection records of club boats
- Inspect and maintain all club safety equipment
- Coordinate /conduct safety training for club members
- Inspect and maintain all first aid kits and defibrillators.
If you are interested in working on one of these teams please contact the team contact for more details or volunteer to serve. We are not asking for long term commitments and most of these teams will only require a few hours a month at most.
Have a great week and keep sailing!