With the end of 2020 finally here, we can only hope for a much better 2021. I along with the entire GPYC Board of Trustees thank you for your patience this year. With the new vaccines rolling out, we hope that we will be open by the summer with some much-needed normalcy at your club.
Andy has sent out the dues letters for 2021-2022. We must keep up on our obligations even while the club is temporarily closed. We are all in this partnership together. We are one GPYC family and we must stick together during the good times and the bad times. It will get better and we are going to open again soon. In the words of Trustee Ernie Chapman, “We will open twice as strong as before.” So please hang in there as we move forward into the new year. On behalf of myself and the entire GPYC Board of Trustees, we wish all our members and your families all the best going into 2021. Respectfully, Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore The dock committee has completed the installation of the bubbler system for the winter season. Thank you to Dave Felton and the dock committee and a special “Thank you” to club member Tom Cook for the use of his boat.
Santa is coming to the GPYC on Sunday December 13th. Thank you to Diane Clarici and her crew (Louise, Sandy, Barbara, & Carol) for setting up this special day for GPYC members. Thank you to Mr. and Mrs. Clause. (Bob and Annelise Kump) Former Commodore Tom Noonan and his wonderful family have kept club tradition going during these difficult times with the lighting of the dock tree on the end of the East dock. Drive by at night and take a look. Thank you Commodore Noonan for keeping up with a tradition you started. Finally, I wish to give a special shout out and “Thank you” to club member Jeff Pfaff for all of your help around the club. Although COVID has us on a temporary hold, we have a lot to be thankful for with our members that continue to keep your club maintained and running. In the words of Linda Clarici, “GPYC strong!” On behalf of myself and the entire GPYC Board of Trustees, I we wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year! Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore On October 13th the GPYC Board of Trustees met with the purpose to discuss the re-opening of the club. The Board decided to table the discussion until November 4th so we could have numbers for the membership on the costs to re-open at 25% of the posted occupancy. We will be looking at bar and kitchen costs to include salaries. The deck ice machine has been winterized and the boats at this time should be out of the water. The bubbler system will soon be installed for the winter season. I will send out a follow up to this message after the meeting to keep everyone informed. As always, if you have any questions or want to talk about any issues, please contact me or a board member for the most up to date information. On behalf of myself and the entire board of trustees, we look forward to seeing you all soon. Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore Commodore/Board of Trustee’s Message
November 2020 The GPYC Board of Trustees met on November 4th to discuss the tabled discussion concerning the costs to open and operate the club at 25% occupancy. The Board seriously took into consideration the positives and negatives of a partial re-opening. The Board determined that it would cost about $7874.00 just to open the door with no guarantee that we would even break even. The Board had previously voted to discuss the reopening at 50% occupancy and decided last night that based on recent spikes in the COVID-19 pandemic and the initial overhead and operating costs, it would not be in the club’s best interest until the law permits 50%. Most us were members in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy when we lost the building. It was a difficult time and almost all of us supported the club even after the Board at that time made a difficult decision to raise dues so we could rebuild. The club under the leadership of then Commodore Tom Noonan opened our beautiful building and we moved forward. Now with COVID-19, the building is here, and we can’t use it. We understand and went through it with you. I have said before that our club is an investment for the good times and the unfortunate bad times. I do say with confidence that the club will reopen again better than ever. Bar Chair Tom McGovern, Kitchen Chair Lenny Gomez, and their respective committees are ready to move forward when the law permits. When we were elected this year, you put your trust in us and the board is not always making the popular decision for some, but the best decisions for everyone to ensure that our savings are kept secure and we remain fiscally responsible. It’s a very difficult time to be on any board during the pandemic. As the Commodore, I do not get a vote. I only vote to break a tie. The Board was not only unified, but unanimous in their decision to wait a bit longer. So, I didn’t get a vote, but I fully support our board and their decision. We are going to begin having trustee meetings monthly again and we will keep you all informed. Anything that would normally be brought to the membership, will be sent to each member via E-mail for your review. The are no expenditures being voted on and no payrolls going out. You will all be getting a letter in the mail so we can reach out to everyone to keep you informed. Below is some information to help you set up your membership porthole on the GPYC website if you haven’t yet done so. On a final note to our GPYC Veterans, Trustee Ernie Chapman who heads our Veteran’s Committee wished to reach out to any Veteran needing assistance during these difficult times. He can be reached at (908) 910-3889. Please hang in there and remain loyal to your club. As Trustee Linda Clarici says, “GPYC Strong!” Respectfully, Ron Heinzman, Commodore, and the Entire GPYC Board of Trustees __________________________________________________________ Welcome to gpycnj.com Official website of the Gilford Park Yacht Club Toms River, NJ The website is a way along with Facebook that the club communicates all the happenings and information on the club in a secure Members Only area. You must Register to access the website 1)Go to gpycnj.com 2)Click Member Login 3)Click Register 4)Enter FULL NAME 5)Enter email address 6)Pick a password (must be at least 8 characters and at least 1 number) 7)Click Register Your registration should be processed within 24 hours After registration is approved, login to the website and go to the bottom of the Members Login area main page and subscribe to the Club mailing list Any Questions Contact Me Vanessa Heinzman, GPYC Communications & Membership vheinzman@gpycnj.com The fall is here following the summer that never was. It’s hard to believe that the end of the year is approaching. We can only hope for more normalcy as the new year approaches. I would like to thank everyone that set up and broke down our end of the summer beach party. “Umberto’s” was a big hit with the members; the food was outstanding. It’s nice to see everyone using the docks and back deck. This is the best time of the year to watch the fall sunsets and there is no better place than the club. There was a ”Fake News” rumor that there was a party on the back deck. It was actually a few club members using their deck enjoying the club property. So, let me say this, enjoy the docks and deck at “Your” club. There’s no better place to watch the sunset and talk with fellow club members. Finally, watch what you hear coming from the parking lot in the morning across the street. If you want to hear what’s really happening, then just reach out to me or a fellow board member. The Board of Trustees is working with some ideas to do a partial reopening of the building. We’ve been talking about the issue and one reason this message is a few days late is because we were hoping to hear some news that the dining is loosening a bit to accommodate a few more members. As you all know, the full Board felt twenty-five (25) percent was not enough to maintain a small profit with costs, overhead, and utilities. Chef Lenny is working with me on an opening menu and Bar Chair Tom McGovern will be ready when the Board gives the word. One thing to expect is limited seating, face masks, temperature checks, social distancing, and table reservations so all the club members have a chance to use the building. I hope to have a message out in the next few weeks with some news. Andy sent the treasurer numbers for the month to share: TD................. Operating Account........ $ 44,365.07 TD................. SBA Account..................... $ 36,806.70 Ocean First... Rebuild Account.......... $ 23,286.11 Ocean First... Rainy Day Account..... $ 2,436.17 Total Cash...................................... $106,894.05 Total Cash less SBA monies............... $ 70,087.35 As a reminder to our boat slip holders, November 1st is the deadline to safely remove your boats for the season. The dock committee will be putting the bubbler system in and they wish to avoid any fall storms. On behalf of myself and the entire GPYC Board of Trustees, we want to let you know that we are working to have the club open real soon. We miss seeing everyone and we appreciate your patience and support. Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore Members that make a Difference!
I would like to give a big shout out to a few of our club members that make a difference. Perhaps your passing by, sitting in your vehicle watching all the action, or walking the docks and noticing these members working every day for the good of our club. Rainer Moellering, Dave Slowinski, Diane Chapman Clarici, Eric Baumann, Lenny Gomez, Dave Felton, Don Krebs, Chris DeFrancesco, Tom Herr, Denise Giuffre, Ernie Chapman, Mike Carrol Jr., Andy Chencharik, Russ Cline, Vanessa Heinzman, and Fran Germaine. From cleaning the outside beach and ramp, inside the building, or helping to maintain the docks, it’s the members that make the difference. After Tropical Storm Iasias, Chris DeFrancesco was on the dock with his equipment right away screwing loose boards back into place. Rainer Moellering, Dave Felton, and I took the large tree that toppled over, chopped it up and made two trips to Public Works. Tom Herr and I made emergency repairs to the docks and Dave Felton is continuing the work on the docks. I also wish to thank the Election Committee Judge Steve Doyle along with Frank Seidelmann and Andrew Cipolla for their time and dedication to the club and keeping all our members safe during the election. I also again thank all our members for voting and putting together another outstanding board for the 2020/2021 calendar year. Don’t forget our end of the summer beach party is September 12th from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. We are going to have great food, entertainment, beer, and wine. As a reminder, this is complimentary to the GPYC member and their significant other only. This is a special “Thank you” to our members for paying your dues, along with your patience and understanding during these difficult times. Looking ahead into the fall, your full board wishes to open the club as soon as possible, law permitting. Bar Chair Tom McGovern, Kitchen Chair Lenny Gomez, along with the entire board and I are staying on top of the news and will let you once the restrictions are lessened to a point where we can open and not lose money. On behalf of myself and the entire GPYC Board of Trustees, we look forward to seeing everyone at the beach party and real soon at the club. With the end of our election year here, I want to take the time to wish all the candidates running for office the best of luck. I also wish to thank the current GPYC Board of Trustees for his/her service to your club. It has been a challenging year and better times are ahead and we will get the club open real soon for outdoor cocktails and light dining. Your club end’s the summer fiscally sound with no credit debt and we have plenty of money moving forward towards next year to fulfill our mortgage obligations. I’ve said it before and again I want to say it’s been an honor and privilege to be your 2019/2020 Commodore. I encourage all of our members to come out and vote August 8th at the club. Respectfully, Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore Dear Fellow Members, July is here with a large amount of information to get out to the general membership. First, The Election Committee led by club member Glen Blue forwarded a recommendation to me for the Board of Trustees to “Postpone” the annual summer elections at the GPYC until next August due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It was the committee’s opinion that Public Safety, Health, and Welfare was at the forefront. Glen spent a tremendous amount of time researching our By Laws and Robert’s Rules of Order and a Board Resolution was drafted and presented to the Board of Trustees during a special meeting held on July 1, 2020. Upon receipt of Glen’s recommendation, I forwarded the Committee’s report to our board attorney, Gregory P. McGuckin who’s firm Dasti, Murphy, McGuckin, Ulaky, Koutsouris, & Connors serve as General Counsel for the GPYC with the Committees’ recommendation for a legal opinion. Mr. McGuckin also has the most updated copy of our By Laws and is familiar with Roberts Rules of Order. The attorney correspondence states “In this unprecedented time, the club might very well subject itself to liability from its’ own Members in the event it were to go forward with the election process and said election process resulted in a Member or Members contracting Covid-19. As noted, in the Resolution, this would be of critical importance to those Members who must conduct the actual election process and placing them at risk to conduct an election at this time would be inappropriate. As a result, we recommend the Board adopt the proposed resolution.” During the Official meeting, six (6) GPYC Board members decided to vote “No” to the resolution disregarding the Election Committee’s recommendation and “Legal” opinion of our Board attorney. On July 2, 2020 Glen Blue submitted a “Request to be Excused from Duty.” Glen stated the following: “The Board of Directors rejected the Election Judge’s recommendations and also rejected the Clubs Attorney or GPYC General Counsel Recommendation that the GPYC Board of Directors adopt the proposed resolution, Resolution # 2019/2020-01; 2019/2020 Nomination, Election and Appointment of Officers. I believe the failure of some members of the Board of Directors to accept specific legal advice and recommendation from our GPYC General Counsel, who willfully ignored legal advice & recommendation, have exhibited gross negligence of their duty to act in the best interest of the Gilford Park Yacht Club and safeguard the members of the Gilford Park Yacht Club.” On Friday July 3rd, I Emailed the full Board of Trustees and asked the (6) no voting members of the Board to submit to me their respective ideas to move forward due to the fact that several of them indicated this can be safely done. I asked two things: Supply me your ideas while guaranteeing the safety of our members and submit your “individual” ideas in compliance with our By Laws. One member responded that we cannot go forward without breaking the By Laws. One member suggested we hold a meeting. One member indicated he does not wish to vote contrary to the Committee’s recommendation or jeopardize safety but feels the By Laws need to be followed. The other three recommendations were all similar, possibly authored by the same person during a meeting of minds requesting a meeting. Not one of the similar three responses made any mention to guarantee the safety of our members from the COVID-19 disease. As of the week of July 7th, I am holding another Special Board Meeting to move forward with the elections. I am hoping that the Board will “Compromise” and come to a solution that will bring this difficult issue to an end. As your Commodore, I respect the Board’s vote to move forward and we ‘Will” get this task accomplished. Speaking as you Commodore again, I won’t move the Board forward until the safety of every member of our organization is safeguarded from the COVID-19 during this pandemic. The GPYC is not an active first responder business or essential personnel business. We are a closed organization with no expenditures being made until it is safe and legal to open. There are “No” emergencies at the GPYC that rise to the level of rushing into something without guaranteeing your safety. I am however actively seeking an Election Committee Judge and Tellers for nominations as several ideas are being explored to move forward. I have said in the past, this is one of the best Boards to ever govern your club. My words were sincere and we will work through this and respect the views of each side of the argument. They are all good people but are currently divided in half on this issue because every member of the Board feels strongly in his/her views on the matter. I personally know of members of this club that have been affected by the COVID-19 by being sick, have a sick family member, losing a family member due to this illness, or simply being at high-risk to contract the COVID-19 disease. I will bring this board together to resolve the election discussion. Many of you have either called me or stopped by my house in the last week to talk and express your points of view and keep the discussion going. A few have said, “If we hold off on elections for any period of time, it is depriving me of my voice and vote. I have also heard, “If you have elections now, I can’t come down and you are depriving me of my voice and vote.” The overwhelming majority have said they support holding off until its safe. It’s been an honor and privilege being your Commodore this year and at times I know some of you haven’t agreed with some of my decisions and even a few of us have drifted apart, but I will never put your safety and health on the back burner especially during an unprecedented, uncharted time like this. “Always” placing my family and my GPYC family first and upholding my oath to you as your Commodore is my top priority. My phone is always on and my garage door is always open until dusk. I look forward to each one of your calls and visits and I will send out a follow up message as soon as possible. Respectfully, Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore Dear Fellow Members,
Another month has past, and I have a lot of information to pass along. Since my last message to you, we have continued to look forward to making the re-opening of our building an easy one. Some of the semi-annual maintenance has been completed in the last few weeks to include the cleaning of the hoods over the stove in the kitchen and the grease trap was professionally cleaned by New System. The hood grease was taken away and properly disposed of by the vendor. The last of the beer barrels was picked up by Shore Point Distributers and the walk-in box is empty. As you all know, the June 1st extended dues deadline has past and on behalf of myself and the GPYC Board of Trustees, we are extremely thankful for the support you have shown your club. Our club is an investment during the good times and the bad, however we move forward and pull through together as a stronger GPYC family. I am sorry to report to you that some members have not renewed their membership and we respect their decisions and feelings, however we have an active waiting list full of eager prospective members waiting for the phone call to come on board. July 1st is the deadline for late dues prior to removal from the membership list. The members that needed extra help have reached out and we are helping them or have helped them. I have called each board member and with the approval of the Board of Trustees, Andy has been given the go ahead to bring in some new members as we move forward. There has been “no” lift of the house rule membership cap from (420). On May 27th, the dock committee met in a small socially distanced group with assistance from club member Bruce Kocenski to create a virtual set up for the meeting, which will be on Sunday June 14th at 12 noon sharp. We will give each one of you an access code on the morning of the meeting to enter the group. So, if you are interested in joining the slip meeting obtain a slip for the first time, change slips, or sublet a slip, I need you to email me at rheinzman@gpycnj.com by Tuesday June 9th. Please provide your name, address, phone number so I can forward your information to the slip committee. Only interested members in obtaining a slip or moving a slip will be allowed into the meeting. Andy will be sending out a letter to the membership with the slips that are available along with the rules in the next few days. Once you receive the slip list, please take the time to go down to the club and look at the docks and pick at least three slips that you would be interested in. Additionally, anyone wishing to sublet a slip, please contact Andy ASAP at cheninc21@gmail.com so he can update the slip information. For the captains who have their boats in the water, Bob Cavalier and Ray Pyne performed maintenance work and cleaned the outside ice machine on the deck for your use. With June upon us, I have appointed Glenn Blue as our Election Judge for the 2020-2021 election year. Glenn has the confidence and respect from former Commodore’s Ed Horton, Tom Noonan, and Tom McGovern. The election committee is independent of the Board of Trustees and Glenn will reach out to the membership at the appropriate time with his plan to proceed forward during these unprecedented times with the safety of the membership on the forefront. In closing, I along with our entire GPYC Board of Trustees wish to thank all of our First Responders (Police, Fire, First Aid, Paramedics, and Police Dispatchers). Just as importantly, thank you to our medical professionals, plumbers, electricians, truck drivers, food service industry workers, and all front-line workers. And just as importantly, thank you to our family of members for your understanding, support, and patience. Please stay safe and healthy and I hope to see you all very soon at your club. Respectfully, Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore Since my last Commodore’s message, a lot has transpired to keep you up to date with.
The dues and boat slip deadline are extended to June 1st. A slip meeting will be held in June via virtual meeting on the computer. Everybody will be contacted with a post card in the near future. To date, we have about 278 dues paid. As I said in my previous message, we understand that some members have been affected by the loss of work during these unprecedented times and we will work with you to get through this together. To save extra money while the club is closed, we have temporarily cancelled service with Ecco Lab, which service our bar and kitchen dishwashers and supply cleaning products and maintenance to the building saving $120.00 a month. Andy has temporarily cancelled our commercial garbage pick up saving about $225.00 a month. This also includes the glass, plastic, and cardboard pick up. There is no cleaning service during this time and Dave Barr will be back once we are opened up again with his fantastic crew. This saves about $55.00 a day. Additionally, there is no payroll overhead right now since the last pay period ending March 15th. The club closed Monday March 16th. So, putting payroll aside, we are saving about 1995.00 a month. Bar Manager Bob Cavalier has inventoried the beer and we are sending back the barrels and unopened cases of bottled beer to the distributers. Initially, this will give us a credit of about $1500.00 with Shore Point and Ritchie & Paige. The number will probably be higher when all said and done. Once the walk-in box is empty, it will be turned off for a while to save energy along with the kitchen refrigerators. The temperature controls are also being set accordingly to save money. The bubbler system has been removed for the season by Vice-Commodore Tom Herr, Trustee Bob Schaffener, members Don Krebs, Tom Cook, Dean Dabolins, and Past Commodore Ed Horton. There is some minor dock work to be done and the crew is on top of it. The water has been turned on for the season and if your boat slip is paid up and your ready to go in the water, no better time than now. The dock crew will be replacing some boards in the coming days along with a light fixture and a small electrical job. If you pass by the club, there is a small work boat on the West dock for the time being. A company working on the Mathis Bridge asked for short term use of a slip. Trustee Bob Schaffener donated his boat slip so it does not interfere with the upcoming slip meeting. Thank You Bob. The company made a $400.00 cash donation to the club, which I deposited and marked the deposit ticket “Sunshine Fund” for children’s events when we open. Additionally, the air conditioner in the kitchen has been taken completely apart and cleaned, the ceiling fans cleaned, and some finishing touches have been put on the men’s room. I wish to call out our Board of Trustees, which I believe is one of the best Boards to ever govern your club. Tom Herr, Vice-Commodore; Ray Pyne, Recording Secretary; Andy Chencharik Treasurer; Trustees Bob Ferris, Tom McGovern, Bob Schaffener, Denise Giuffre, Diane Clarici, Linda Clarici, Vanessa Heinzman, and Lenny Gomez. While the club may be closed, your Board continues to move forward and make decisions for the future of our organization. I want to close in thanking our members for your understanding during these times. I will do everything to keep you all informed due to the fact we cannot hold meetings at this time. You can always reach out to me if you have any questions. I’m a phone call away. In closing, I along with our entire GPYC Board of Trustees wish to thank all of our First Responders (Police, Fire, First Aid, Paramedics, and Police Dispatchers). Just as importantly, thank you to our medical professionals, plumbers, electricians, truck drivers, food service industry workers. Please stay safe and healthy and I hope to see you all very soon at your club. Respectfully, Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore Dear Fellow Members,
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, we all kept up our dues while eagerly awaiting the rebuilding of our beautiful new building. We stuck together as a GPYC family and made it through a really tough time in the history of the club and emerged stronger. Now we are faced with the Coronavirus. We have never had a more challenging time in the history of our club because of the safety and health of each and every member and your families along with the loss of members jobs and the uncertainty of your future. I have placed a phone call to each GPYC Board Member and effective immediately with the full support of the Board, I am suspending the April 1st dues deadline until June 1st. There are no penalties or loss of any club privileges should the club re-open. There is nothing more important right now than your families and loved ones, which come first. We understand that some members are self-employed, small business owners, or work in the service industry. I don’t want to lose any one of you on our membership roster and we will work with you through these unforeseen circumstances. To those that have paid your dues, “Thank you.” With the club shut down for the unforeseen future, we will continue to keep up to date with our mortgage obligations. I want to explain how the dues are broken down. Out of each check, $177.00 is placed aside for the SBA mortgage and $273.00 is for utilities, insurances, and upkeep of the building. As far as the boat slips, if you are paid up, your vessels may go in April 1st, law permitting and if you are not, simply send us your money all together for easy record keeping. Former Commodore Tom Noonan will be heading the boat slip committee with Former Commodore Tom McGovern, Vice-Commodore Tom Herr, and Treasurer Andy Chencharik when the time comes to do it safely. An internet version of the meeting is also another option the committee is looking into. They will get the information out to you in a timely manner. The club is currently being cleaned top to bottom and sanitized thoroughly. All perishables have been discarded or given to those in need during these tough times. We are all in this together and we will as a club emerge even stronger than before. I wish you and your families all my best and please stay safe. On behalf of myself and the entire GPYC Board of Trustees, we hope to see each and every one of you real soon at your club. Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore |
AuthorRon Heinzman is the current Commodore of the Gilford Park Yacht Club. Archives
January 2021
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