President's Message - The Busy Season
Fellow Craigleith Members,
I last wrote to you shortly after the hugely successful World Cup Ski Cross finals, when the ground was still covered with snow. We're now past the longest day of the year. Although there aren't as many members around the Club these days, the absence of snow and daily operations allows management, staff and, to some extent, the board, to undertake exciting projects in anticipation of the coming ski season and beyond.
While I recognize that members' attention is less focused on the Club over the summer, I want to update you and alert you to several important communications affecting subjects that I'll touch on briefly below. Look for the following:
- We have now posted information about the proposed agreement between the Club and Track 3 regarding their building plans, which we also anticipate being on the agenda at the annual meeting. This can be found on the Member Central page.
- As soon as it's ready, we'll post on the website more information about the by-law revision and some specific issues that we anticipate members will be asked to consider at the annual meeting in October.
- We will also post on the website the third edition of the Club's reinstituted annual report. It's designed to review significant elements of the Club’s operations over the past year, including committee activities, and to provide current information about the Club's policies and statistics that address recurring questions from members.
- In late August or early September, the nominating committee's report to members and nominee statements regarding the candidates for election to the board at the annual meeting will be circulated, followed by the formal notice of the annual meeting in late September.
You'll be notified by email when information is posted on the Club website. We're currently planning to hold the annual meeting at the Club and online on Saturday 21 October 2023, in combination with a social event and an introduction to the Depot. As there will be special business to be voted on at the annual meeting, such as the revised by-law and the Track 3 agreement, please make every effort to participate in person, online or by proxy, so that important decisions are made by a broad group.
Here are some short highlights on a bunch of subjects. Sorry that they add up to a long message, but I've been saving some of them for a while. To keep this edition to a manageable length, I'll send another message in a few days. It will focus on the Club's finances and what you can expect in the billings for annual dues, capital levies etc. that will be sent to members by email in the first or second week of July.
- The nominating committee has recently delivered its report to the board and the board has accepted their recommendation that Chris Crowe and Melanie Duras Deeks be nominated for election to the board at the annual meeting. The board has also acclaimed Dave MacDonald as vice-president elect. He will be formally appointed to that position after the annual meeting with the expectation that he will become president the following year. The Club is fortunate to have many capable members who are willing to volunteer their time in its service.
- At long last, Tambro's work constructing the Depot is almost complete. We expect to soon receive an occupancy permit from the town and possession of the building from Tambro. It's looking great and the building committee, led by Brian Athey, deserves our whole-hearted thanks for their skill and devotion in getting us to a successful conclusion in the face of unprecedented challenges. As with any project, there is some furnishing and other work that is outside of Tambro's contract. Some of it will be completed this summer, while other parts may be left until we see how members' use of the Depot unfolds.
- Meanwhile, the board and others at the Club, with the support of our architects and builder, continue to devote significant time on the second phase of Project Generations (expansion of the Base Lodge ) to find a plan that we can afford, that achieves objectives, that doesn't result in too much more delay and that might allow us to learn a bit about members' use of the Depot. We aren't there yet, but remain undaunted.
- As announced at the town hall meeting in February, we told Track 3 that we needed to defer approving an agreement relating to their building plans until we assessed whether committing to their use of the proposed site would be affected by our need to revisit phase 2 of Project Generations. We have now completed that assessment and the board has approved a letter of intent between the Club and Track 3 to be submitted to the members for approval at the annual meeting. The letter is a preliminary agreement with principles that will be incorporated into a definitive agreement, which will provide for a lease of land by the Club to Track 3, the construction and operation by Track 3 at their expense of a building design approved by the Club on the land, and operating support provided by the Club for programs offered by Track 3, essentially as they now exist. As part of our continuing planning for phase 2, Track 3 has committed to allow the Club to rent space in the lower level of their building that could be used for ski storage, which we concluded was the only viable member use of the area. The board strongly supports Track 3's plans and, as Track 3 has received informal expressions of support from members, they are continuing with their project preparation during the summer. Among other things, they require a zoning amendment and members may therefore see a town notice on the Club property. As noted above, an information package is now posted on the Member Central page of the Club's website. Please send questions and comments to [email protected] so that they can be addressed well in advance of the annual meeting.
- The board has approved in principle the development of a relationship between the Club and The Craigleith Cares Foundation. Craigleith Cares is now being formally established by a group of motivated Club members to expand the Club's capacity to contribute to the surrounding community through charitable activities. I understand it is the first charitable foundation associated with a private ski club in the area. The foundation's leaders are already working with Track 3 to ensure their respective efforts don't conflict, and we expect the foundation will play a key role in enabling Club members to support many worthy local charities with whom the Club can't practically deal individually. More information will be circulated in the coming months, and members with inquiries may contact Deborah Tennant at [email protected].
- Although there weren't many participants in the member consultation sessions relating to the proposed new by-law, at the end of the season a group of members made a proposal to add a "supermajority" provision to the by-law. In short, this would impose a 55% threshold, rather than 50%+1, on a vote of members to approve "any transaction or any commitment which would have an extraordinary major effect on the Club's affairs or assets or such that would change significantly the general nature of the Club." This proposal will be voted on by members at the same time that members vote on the proposed new by-law and articles. As noted above, more details of this proposal will be posted on the Club website shortly. If adopted, this proposal could have a significant impact on key decisions for the Club. I therefore encourage members to review the material after it is posted and to participate in the decision concerning it.
- In connection with the adoption of a new by-law, which includes provisions regarding member discipline that reflect the requirements of the new statute (ONCA), we want to update the Club's code of conduct for members. I occasionally hear from members regarding this subject and would be grateful for suggestions regarding potential updates.
On an unrelated subject, I hope you'll be interested in another example of something the Club has done well that came to my attention. A member recently wrote encouraging the Club to take advantage of a program for making EpiPens available for emergency response in case of severe allergic reactions. I was pleased to learn that the Club has had EpiPens available for over 10 years. They're kept with the defibrillators that have been available in the Club for 20 years and have been successfully used twice. I hope you'll never need these, but that someone will remember this bit of information if you do. Our ski patrol certainly will.
Finally, here are a couple of pictures of Big John taken on the occasions of the board's day-long planning sessions on 22 April and 27 May. The first shows that, despite our snowmaking power, when the weather turns, the skiing disappears quickly. The second shows not a slopeside sand trap but a persistent patch of snow, and the return of the grass.
 Please watch for more news and mark your calendars for the annual meeting on 21 October!
Comments are welcome at [email protected].
Cheers,
James Mathers
President
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