Annual Membership Meeting

Photography courtesy of Peter Hall

Welcome to the new Board Members and returning Officers for the upcoming fiscal year. Thank you to all of the members who voted by proxy or came out to enjoy the evening!

SLATE OF OFFICERS

President: Peter Turlington (Renewal of 1yr. term)

Vice President: John T. Williams Jr. (Renewal of 1yr. term)

Treasurer: Robert Leatherbury (Renewal of 1yr. term)

Secretary: Barbara Murphy (Renewal of 1yr. term)

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Rick Matthews (3yr. term)

Jessica Bernard (3yr. term)

Chris Guvernator (3yr. term)

After the meeting, we enjoyed a delicious buffet dinner with great music by DJ Josh Bundick. We are looking forward to a great summer! 

HANDOUTS FROM THE ANNUAL MEETING

Welcome to new GM Chris Stodghill!

Many thanks to all the members who were able to join us on April 6 for a lovely reception at the Club to Welcome your new General Manager, Chris Stodghill! President Peter Turlington made the introductory remarks and thanked:

• Blake Johnson and our food & beverage partner Chesapeake Hospitality for donating the delicious hors d’oeuvres served that evening

• John Morgan and The Morgan Group at Coldwell Banker Harbour Realty for sponsoring the band, CC and the Fantastic Willie C

• John T. Williams, Jr and Williams Funeral Homes for sponsoring the raw bar (complete with shucking extraordinaire, Eddie Bell)

• Steve McClaskey and the Search Committee (Margie Byrd and Adam James) for taking on the search and for finding Chris Stodghill quite literally in our own backyard!   

Chris thanked the club for the honor and also credited wife Maggie for her support. 

Many thanks to Peter Hall for the photos, below. 

And, in case anyone is interested in reading the Ode to ESYCC read by yours truly, here is a link to it. 

60th Anniversary Celebration

ESYCC members and associates came out on September 4th to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the official opening of the clubhouse in joyful 60s style. Everyone enjoyed delicious food, scintillating conversation and fabulous music by the HM Johnson band. Thanks to member Peter Hall for the photos. 

ESYCC Grand Opening!

Friday and Saturday proved to be glorious days for the Clubhouse Grand Opening, despite the early weather forecast of rain and high winds. 

The Friday evening members-only celebration was well-attended and members were dazzled by the craftsmanship of Gateway Builders, the gorgeous design and finishing choices made by the ReBuild and House Committee, the delicious assortment of hors d’oeuvres served by Blake Johnson’s food & beverage team, the new restaurant menu displayed by Chef Kayleigh and so much more. The upbeat music of Heather and Nathan (with Scott) had everyone tapping their toes.   

A warm and heart-felt thank you to all the members who sustained the Club during the past 2-1/2 years and to those who made significant contributions to the ReBuild effort: financial support through important naming opportunities, hands-on work on committees and in-kind contributions all were greatly needed and appreciated. 

 From the ribbon-cutting through to the very last reveler to leave, the evening proved that ESYCC is BACK as THE place to have fun on the Eastern Shore. And we are stronger than ever! 

Saturday’s Grand Opening Golf Tournament was fully subscribed and the mulligans and 3-ft of string available for purchase made for a fun and competitive day. 

The Community Open House on Saturday afternoon brought many former members, newcomers to the Shore and well-wishers to the Club, many of whom expressed their intention to join in the fun! 

Many thanks to John T. Williams, Jr. for capturing the video of the ribbon cutting (right) and to Peter Hall for the beautiful photography. 

SUMMER CAMP

ESYCC summer camp is a tradition that just never gets old. The sight of a 4-yr old holding a tennis racquet for the first time or a the promise of a talented golf swing by a 10 yr old or the sheer joy of pool time brings a smile to everyone fortunate enough to witness these moments. Tennis Coach Mike Varricchio and Golf Teaching Pro Jay Williams  were joined by a wonderful group of assistant coaches, lifeguards and counselors. Everyone took their jobs seriously: to deliver a fun and safe camp experience for every camper. Given the smiles on all, we’d say the week was a great success.   

Tennis News

Tennis News April 2020

The project to correct drainage on the tennis courts is complete and the courts look great.   I hope all of you will take the opportunity to play on the new Tennis Surface soon!  The surface may seem “bald” to you , as compared to the way the courts looked previously but be assured, this is way the playing surface should look to achieve a true bounce.  We are hoping for more nice days after the big rain and wind. 

If you do play, please remember that there are some changes to court support and check-in as follows:

• Reservations are recommended and can be made up to 3 days in advance.

• All players are required to check-in at the Sports Center prior to playing.  

• Sweeping lines and the court after play should be left to Club staff.  If there is a really bad area, smooth it out with your feet.  The courts will be cleaned by staff at least once a day, if used.

• There will be no drinking water provided on the courts.  Please bring your own water.

Please note that the Pro-Shop will monitor the courts to enforce the check-in policy.  This is important so staff will know when the courts need sweeping.  If you go by the Pro-Shop after playing, you can get a snack and drink and maybe watch the next match (please note you may not enter the Pro Shop at this time, but staff can bring you snacks and beverages).

The Tennis Committee meeting scheduled for April 15th was postponed to May 6th.  We will be discussing the current status of restrictions and when to start Monday tennis and Social tennis.  If you have an opinion or want to listen to the conference call (I am low tech) let me know by email or a phone call and I will send you a long-distance telephone number so you can join the meeting.

We are still looking for volunteers to help  organize Monday tennis, Social tennis and Tournaments.  So if you are willing to help, let me know and we can discuss what is needed.  These are not hard jobs but do require your attendance at some of the events.  

Remember, no handshakes or high fives but racquet taps are an accepted method of greeting and congratulations.  Also, at changeovers practice your social distancing, 6 feet or a little more than an arms and racquet length.

Just be safe so we can continue to play together during this pandemic,

Jim Townsend

Tennis Committee Chair

Clubhouse ReBuild Update

Club Rebuild – Process, Progress and Plans

by Eric Dodge

March 29, 2020

Although we are in the midst of a serious pandemic threat, we have been able to continue construction activities at the Club. The contractor, Gateway, is carefully monitoring the health and welfare of their workforce, and practicing social distancing and sanitizing recommendations as appropriate. Gateway is healthy.  We continue to be allowed to work.  They recently reported: “As the landscape continues to evolve with our country regarding working conditions, sub-contractors, vendors, etc., we plan to be respectful of those making decisions and obey. We're hopeful that those decisions continue to allow us to move forward. If anything changes, we'll let you know.”  

As a reminder, we are in a design/build scenario. Long story short, that means that while we began our rebuild with  an architect/engineering firm (AWB) providing  detailed plans for the basic layout, structure, and infrastructure associated with the two buildings, many things were left open to “final” design, including  selection of finishes, as the construction progressed. Gateway (our contractor) is acting largely as a construction manager (1) to move the project along, (2) to help us through the process of final selections, and (3)  to get us the best price by bidding out pieces of work to subcontractors (aka trades). Even then, while their subcontractors are carrying out their work, we continue to adjust, using a process called “value engineering;” essentially optimizing what we are building against available resources (money). For example, we decided we would lease our dishwashing equipment, as many local restaurants do. After consulting with that provider, and splitting our hot water heating between two locations, we were able to adjust the way we are providing hot water around the clubhouse, resulting in a significant ($10,000) savings. Another example: Instead of a double window in the bar facing the pool along with a small door for access along that wall, we turned the double window into a double door and eliminated the separate door, saving $ and giving us more wall space in the bar for TV screen and lighting. And: Gateway found a way to deliver the metalized-roof portion of the Clubhouse at a significant savings, allowing us to maintain the original design concept on the front of the building. And on and on. 

Who are “we?”  Essentially, we combined the functions of the Building and House committees into one, with that group comprising the President, another  board member, our General Manager, and several others  who bring financial, engineering, operational and interior design expertise to the project, and all of whom – collectively - represent all features of our club: golf, tennis, pool, marina, dining and socializing.   We meet weekly with much coordination between meetings. While we haven’t physically met since Mar 10th, we will meet in early April, socially distant, but surrounding a TV monitor on which, for example, we will discuss and deliberate over floor finishes, lighting options, and chair fabrics, among other topics.

Over the last month…

•  All internal framing was completed and all windows were installed; the dual-sided fireplace is installed; doors will be coming next.

• All plumbing has been roughed-in, pressure tested, and inspected. The 8 soft-drink lines have been run between the kitchen supply rack to the bar and waitstation.  Water fixtures, sinks and toilets get attached following completion of wall and floor finishes.

• A good portion of the HVAC systems has been roughed in. The walk-in cooler/freezer has been installed in the kitchen.

• Almost all electrical roughing-in has been completed and the level of service has been worked out with ANEC.  During a walk-through by the House Committee in early March, all decisions regarding switches (location and type), lights (location and type), and audio/ visual systems wiring were completed. Which lights get dimmers, which go on and off according to occupancy and the like, and what and where controls are for the A/V systems. We have yet to finalize what the actual chandeliers, sconces and pendant lights will look like.

• Much of the roof has been completed; the exception is over the kitchen which requires a membrane roof that gets installed around all the various compressor equipment on that surface, currently in the process of installation. A 3-foot-high knee-wall is being constructed around the perimeter of that roof.

Next on the schedule is flooring, and preparing for completion of walls, some of which require insulation to be installed. After that we progress to installing moldings, the bar with storage shelves over it and nearby; the waitstation counters and shelving; installation of plumbing and wiring fixtures; and finally painting. At the appropriate times, the House Committee will be ordering and organizing delivery and installation of furniture, equipment for kitchen, bar and waitstation, and finally all manner of service utensils/supplies for kitchen, bar and dining room.

We’ve also had several small projects completed outside the Clubhouse. In the Boat House Grill (BHG), one restroom was converted to a utility room, enabling removal of some utilities from the kitchen proper. The kitchen went through a deep cleaning, and wiring and water service is being upgraded to permit installation of one of the smart-ovens scheduled for the clubhouse, but which we can use before then to expand the abilities of the BHG. And also learn how to use it! (smart ovens require some training). A lean-to was added to the pool-shed, in order to shelter an ice machine, Coke vending machine, and ball-washer. The remainder of the required pool-fencing is targeted for completion by May 1, before the pool is commissioned.