We have been working frantically to get the Club ready for opening.
Some people are VERY overworked...Rich Knaul,Tony St.Phillips,Ralph
Estrich.Tom Graber,The Cotters,Don DeVine and many others who are so
dedicated and take Club ownership seriously. (They probably will not care to
have their names mentioned,and might be annoyed with me.) You wouldn't
believe the hours these people have put
in,wiring,rewiring,cleaning,scrubbing,installing,building,rebuilding,sanding
staining,sealing,mowing,raking,weeding,planting and on and on and on and on!
Our problem: WE NEED YOUR HELP before opening mostly and during the summer
as well. We just CAN'T do it ALL!!
There were fourteen members, out of 196, who had not paid as of June 9. Each billing period I
agonize over whether I should be sending out reminders or not. On the other hand with 93 % of the membership
remembering to pay before the deadline I question the need for reminders. It costs about $0.54 to send a reminder
by snail mail and I am never sure about the email route and the fact that many members do not appreciate the “pdf”
format. If you have any thoughts please let me know.
We have done a lot of work at the club this spring. I am sure someone
else has mentioned the windows and the new doors on the bathrooms. We have also put new lights and circulating fans
in the clubhouse, and installed an exhaust fan in the peak of the building to draw out the hot air. The exhaust fan
appears to have done a good job eliminating (so far) the clubhouse floor-sweating problem. The circulating fans are
still awaiting final electrical connections. I installed switches at both the north door and south door so anyone
going out either door could turn OFF both sets of lights. The first time the clubhouse was used after the lights were
installed they were left ON. Please folks this is your club and it is your money so please turn lights off when you
leave. If there is some confusion with the third light switch at each door it is because I had a request after
everything was done to split the lights so that only one half of each set could be turned on at a time. I took the
easy way out (which still wasn’t very easy) and put in the extra switch at each door to control one half of the lights.
The single switch on the south side controls one half of the south lights and the same for the north side. Thanks to
Don Devine for helping me.
The Macholl family is going to live in the cottage and bunkhouse this summer while they look
after the club. The cottage kitchen definitely needed some fixing which is about 95% done at this time. We plugged
an opening under the eves to keep out the squirrels and cleaned out all of their debris ( at least two bushels) from
above the ceiling in the kitchen and bedroom. While at it we installed a few outlets in the bedroom and installed
some new light fixtures. The bathroom repairs started a number of years ago, finally have been finished. Don Devine
cleaned and painted the bunkhouse but the building still needs some work - new steps and porch repairs, new roof, broken
or missing window glass replaced and the construction of a bunk bed (after all it is the bunkhouse). Thanks to Don
Devine, Bill Kehoe, J J Butera, Fred Prentice, Ralph Estrich, Barb Knaul, Qui & Stefan Nguyen for helping me.
Thanks to Peter Whiting, Don Devine, Tom Graber for their work in refinishing the deck and docks.
To keep dues as low as they are, members are asked to participate in a clean-up day in the spring
and a put-to-bed day in the fall. This spring our clean-up day lacked for members and there are still things that have
not been done. Over the years the Board has kicked around a number of ideas on how we can improve the member
participation in these two events. Some of the ideas discussed have been a special assessment for members who do not
show up (which has a number of inherent problems), creating a to-do list and have members sign up (both ideas require
at least a manager), or just raise dues and hire the work done. The Board is open to any and all suggestions.
Along the same line, members are asked to treat the club as you treat your own home. If there
is something that needs attention either take care of it or let someone, like a board member or the steward know
about it. Please take note, the steward is not your mother. Please pick up after yourself, use the trash receptacles
provided, and take charge of your personal gear. Sorry to come down so hard but if we all work together we will keep
the OYC the best kept secret on Owasco Lake. Many thanks to those members who did participate in the spring clean-up
or who have volunteered since.
Here we are at last. As I write this, the sun is shining and it is HOT! We can hope
that this is a good
prediction of what the summer will be like. June 17 is the soft opening. Kendra will be grilling on the
deck and we will be having a Blessing of the Boats. Our official opening will be June 24. Back by popular
demand will be Capt’n Squeeze and the Zydeco Moshers. They will be performing from 7-10. A New Orleans
style buffet will be available prior to the music. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE call the kitchen (252-7850) for
reservations.
This year’s Waterfront has even more to appeal. But as you read you’ll find that it
is due to many club
volunteers. Thanks to Tony St.Phillip’s continued care, the paddleboat donated by Adele K. is ship shape;
the red kayak on the low kayak rack is identified by its OYC markings. The two donated club Sunfish are
in beautiful shape and ready for your enjoyment. Members can chaperone with a beginning sailor or even
race the buoys with a friend between Martin’s Point and club’s markers. Tony and Mark Rogers also have
the Oday Daysailor in top shape to cruise the lake with two or three friends. Please plan and ask ahead
for help launching or rigging. Don’t forget our two popular catamaran style Hobbie 14’s that are ready
to pull in the water (thanks to Jim Kushe). Their sails are located in the large long black plastic tubes
under them. Again please call ahead if there is a need for assistance. Please inform the lifeguard after
signing in on the sign out book in the clubhouse before using any club boats. Use the 2 yellow floats to
hold your sailboat or kayak off the shore while you either trim up or down your boat. You can use the ties,
loop or clip connected right underneath the ball.Parental supervision is required for all youth sailors! All sailors need to watch the weather conditions, as the club is not responsible for the actions and choices of its members. Everyone will always wear a life jacket as the winds shift quickly on any lake. sailing Please report any equipment problems, etc, to the steward or myself: phone, note, or email. A lot of time and money is spent preparing and maintaining the waterfront equipment. A broken oar? See the steward who will get another one already to go from the garage. Then call, email, etc, me to report it. The other club boats are the three aluminum rowboats, fiberglass lifeguard, and the committee powerboat. The rowboats located by the north and south docks and are for use by those needing to get to their moored boats. Please wear a lifejacket! They are to be used and returned to their spot for the next person to use. Their racks were outfitted with rollers by 14-year-old Luke Chapin and a few score older Alex Kalicki The fiberglass rowboat for the swim area is required by law for lifeguard use only. The committee powerboat is for club maintenance, emergencies, and the racing program. It is not open for members’ use. The empty boat trailer parking in the upper field starts back 100 feet from the club driveway. The first 100 feet will accommodate boats that are not able to get on moorings or lifts yet and keep the south parking lot (lakeside) open for those paying the trailering fee and member parking. Please use wooden blocks provided by the entrance of the field to secure your trailer. Do not use rocks, etc, which can chip or bend the mower blades. The parking area south of the steward’s cabin is reserved for those paying trailing fees only. Those boats waiting to be moored, needing more time for: repairs, replacements, schedules, etc., should have your boat in the upper field from June 1st on. Fishing corner for young and old get hooked in the clubhouse.
Have you been up to the Club during the preseason? On any given day you can see some dedicated
members readying
the Club for the summer. Thank you to all those who have been sanding and staining the deck, putting in new
lights and fans in the Clubhouse, building new stairs for the cabin, mowing the lawns, getting the docks in,
etc., etc. And speaking of docks, the swimmers young and old have a long list of men to thank for getting the
(monster) swimming dock in this year (listed in no particular order): Bob Sloan, Ken Rescott, Steve Kline,
John Hammerstedt, Tom Graber, Hobie Romig, Richard Oughterson, Gary Mason, and Bob Cotter (who was delighted
to find that he did indeed fit, with some assistance, into his wet suit, which mysteriously shrunk since the last
wearing). 
As I write these notes, it's the end of May and the temperature is already 90.
An early start to a hot summer.
For those of you who haven't visited the club yet, you will be in for a pleasant surprise. The clubhouse
windows have been changed out to easy to open aluminum double hungs.
New energy efficient ceiling light fixtures have been installed as well as ceiling fans for added comfort.
A long awaited upgrade to the bathhouse has been conpleted. The installation of exterior grade steel doors
and secure wood frames. All that is needed now is priming and finish paint.
New electricial upgrades is on going at the sewards house and bunk house, including a security system.
A hugh hand clap and thank you to Rich Knaul for all the electrical work.
Every where you look there are improvements needed. Getting more done requires more helping hands. Consider
donating a little time and accomplishing a task you can call yours.
See you at the club. Oh! Bring your fishing pole and some worms. The perch and rockbass are biting.