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 Spring is in the air and less than three weeks away. First, we will be celebrating our annual Saint Patrick’s Day Celebration on Saturday March 7th, starting at 1pm-6pm. Traditionally, the club has always celebrated the day in line with the Seaside Heights Saint Patrick’s Day Parade. Chef Lenny will be making Platters of Corned Beef, Cabbage, and Potatoes with all the trimmings. Sandwiches will also be available.
I would like to congratulate our very own GPYC Club member Damian G. Murray for having the honor of being the 2020 Parade Grand Marshall. Sunday March 29th we will be hosting our annual Children’s Easter Party upstairs in our mezzanine room. This event is for all ages up to ten years old and is for members’ children and grandchildren. The sign-up deadline in March 22nd. Denise Giuffre and her crew are working hard to make it a fantastic day for the kids. As always, you can stay connected by checking us out on our Facebook Page, the weekly Email blasts, or through your GPYC Member Porthole. Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore Valentine’s Day is right around the corner and with love in the air, Chef Lenny will have a fantastic menu and our very own DJ Jammin Josh will be playing all of your favorite Valentine’s Day songs to make the evening complete. Please check for the kitchen Email messages along with our Facebook page as the day approaches for the dinner specials and updates.
I want to give a special thank you to member Terry Convery for donating our new pool table cover and his great family over at Convery Canvas for taking the time to make the perfect cover that was in need of replacement. As most of us boaters know, Convery Canvas is second to nobody in the area and the work done was greatly appreciated. At the last Board of Trustees meeting, the Board unanimously brought back an old tradition “Member of the Year,” sponsored by Recording Secretary Raymond Pyne for that one member each year that goes above and beyond for our club selflessly dedicating their time and services. The GPYC Board of Trustees nominated Member Don Krebs. “Congratulations Don,” and on behalf of the entire Board of Trustees, “Thank you.” The last member to receive this recognition was past member Benny Dollan in 2000. Trustee Vanessa Heinzman and Trustee Linda Clarici are working on updating all the sponsors for the club including the website and tv. If you would like to become a new sponsor, please contact Trustee Vanessa Heinzman at vheinzman@gpycnj.com. Trustee Linda Clarici is currently notifying all current sponsors and sponsors of the past to renew their yearly sponsorship which will now have a due date of, April 1st yearly. Trustee Linda Clarici has taken charge of our gold plates sales in the hallway at the top of the stairs. If you wish to purchase a gold plate for your family with a special saying or dedication, please let her know. The gold plates can also be purchased on-line in the GPYC Store through your member porthole. On a final note, on behalf of myself and the entire Board of Trustees, we wish our sincere condolences to member Maryellen Donnelly on the loss of her father Owen Donnelly and the family of past member Robbie Robinson who was also a former GPYC Club Commodore. As always, you can stay connected on the latest club activities by checking our weekly Email blasts or on our GPYC Facebook page. Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore The end of 2019 is here and I want to take the time to remember members that our club lost this year. James (Jimmy) Schaffener, Cartherine Palsho, and Bill Frasier.
Jim was a long time member of the GPYC for over 30 years and served on the Board of Trustees. Jim was a Veteran of the United States Army, volunteer Fireman, and loved fishing and camping. Catherine was a long time member to our club and owned Ernie’s Old Robbinsville Hotel, which she operated for 72 years until her passing. Bill was a long term GPYC member and a past Vice-Commodore. Bill was a Marine, Secret Service agent to a President, a Philadelphia Police Officer and a certified captain who has crossed the Atlantic in a sailboat. All of our members from every walk of life are what make our club such a great place. Moving into January, we have live entertainment with “Billy and Mark” here on Friday January 10th and again on Friday January 31st. They of course, are back by popular demand and we hope you can make it down to your club for two great nights of entertainment and dinner from your kitchen. If you’re a football fan and here on Sundays, you have probably noticed the new window tinting on the upper windows around the bar. It has really made a big difference during the games. As always, you can stay connected with your club by following us on Facebook or by receiving our weekly emails. Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore First, I along with the entire GPYC Board of Trustees wish all our members and your families a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy New Year. The GPYC first annual Children’s Toy Drive is in full swing and member Ed Bennet who has led this project in partnership with the Toms River Police Department, has placed a beautifully decorated box he made for the toy drop off at the club. We appreciate all the toy donations we have received so far and appreciate your support. We are accepting unwrapped toy donations until Christmas Eve. There’s a lot to talk about this month so I’m going to highlight keys events happening at the club. December 6th - Adult Christmas Party 6pm until? The ornament exchange is at 8pm. Bring in an ornament and receive an ornament. Also, wear your ugliest sweater for the annual ugly sweater contest. The top three winners will be picked at 9 pm. We also have entertainment again with the Popular 3D Daddy Daughter Duo from 7:30 pm until 11:30 pm. December 14th – This is the cut off date for signing children up for the annual Children’s Christmas Party with Santa. If you haven’t done so yet, please sign up as soon as possible. December 21st - Children’s Christmas Party. This year Santa and Mrs. Claus will be upstairs in the Santa’s workshop. Your family will be called up as a group and you will be able to spend some one on one time with Mr. and Mrs. Claus. We will also have a volunteer (Carol MacDonald) on hand to take photos. So, bring your camera or phone upstairs and we will take your family photo for the holiday. Chicken nuggets and fries along with juice boxes will be given out by the kitchen crew to the little ones. December 25th – Club Closed December 31st – Annual New Year’s Eve Party. Tickets will be going on sale within the next week and we will send out an email blast and social media post. As always, we will have great food, live entertainment and an open bar. There’s no better place to be than close to home. I want to take some time to again thank all of the volunteers who made our Veteran’s Day Breakfast, the best ever at your club. I wish to give a special “Thank You” to Rich Johnson for the beautiful cake he donated. Special “Thank You” again to our members Dennis Palmatier, Mary Ann Senatore, Dave Slowinski, Eric Baumann, Artie Seizer, and Fran Germain. Trustees Denise Giuffre, Vanessa Heinzman, Diane Chapman Clarici, and Linda Clarici worked very hard volunteering their time as well to make the day great. I want to give a very special “Thank You” to Glenn Blue, our own Josh Ferris, Ronald Brooks, and of course our Veterans Committee Chair, Edwin Gillan. As always, we will send out periodic emails through the month and you can always see what’s happening on our GPYC Facebook page to stay connected. Again, on behalf of myself, the entire GPYC Board of Trustees, the entire Bar and Kitchen Crew, we wish all of our members and your families a very Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and a safe healthy New Year. Ron Heinzman, GPYC Commodore |
AuthorVanessa Heinzman is the current Commodore of the Gilford Park Yacht Club. Archives
January 2024
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