The summer is moving along about like the economy, slow. We have a week or two of rain, then a week or two of heat & draught, on and off again. Activity at the club has been relatively slow. The exception has been Saturdays, where Bill Meek has kept his Men’s RR group at 6-7 courts.

The slow economy has impacted the club on a number of levels. We have our fewest number of summer memberships in memory, sales in the clubhouse have dropped 20% over the past three months as compared with 2007, Tony’s Hurricane Academy is down in numbers, and costs of goods and services have risen. People’s discretionary dollars are not as readily available as they have been in the past. These are tough times and we can only hope that the economy turns around soon.

I have had to “tighten up” in a number of areas including court resurfacing. Most of what we are doing now is scarifying and replacing top dressing. Fortunately, the weather has cooperated and the courts are in very good shape. We did replace tapes on court three and may do a few other lines here and there, but the cost of materials and labor is restricting what we can afford to do. The deck project remains our main focus and the cost of preparing for permits and bids is a costly procedure in and of itself. The idea of “capping” the deck looks more and more like the most economical and efficient method of replacing our deck. We may be able to get a brand new deck surface that looks good aesthetically, is structurally sound, and could be completed much more economically than tearing down the existing deck and replacing the entire surface. I think we are on track to a plausible and effective solution. Funding this project will be the Board’s primary issue at this month’s meeting.

I am very excited about having Keisha take on the full time position of general assistant. She will be a great asset during the coming season. She is familiar with just about everyone here, she is extremely competent and reliable, and has a great personality. Keisha, Ike, and Marc have been fantastic workers the entire summer. Also, Ike & Marc have played a couple of very entertaining tennis exhibitions for us.

Let’s keep our fingers crossed for continued uneventful weather. August is normally the most dangerous and active month for tropical storms, so I hope it passes quietly.

See you on the courts…………