by 
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT
“My life has become a science fiction movie”, I said to myself the other day when someone told me that the Coronavirus can follow people! Is it true? Who knows? But, how do we balance fact and fiction? How do we even know the difference between fact and fiction anymore?
The Board has been meeting via video-conference twice a month; events regarding the pandemic seem to be changing daily. We are considering different options to be able to serve you and create our own ‘new normal’ as the summer approaches.
At the last meeting we formed a temporary COVID-19 committee to help us determine what to do in order to keep the Club clean and the members safe during the pandemic. Since we are under the Stay at Home order, we are able to expand committee membership to people who live outside of the Wilmington area. Ernie Alexander is chairman of the Committee. Other members are:
– Bryan Tilden, CPCU, CLU, ARM, ALCM, ChFC, CIC, SCLA, (aka, an expert witness)
– Kathryn Wessell, works in Public Health
– Leah Tilden, works with Emergency Management and has Public Health Background
– Amanda Irwin, has been trained in infection control and has a cleaning company
– Robert McIver, Insurance agent
– Garrett Wilson, Food Service Manager at the Club
This group had an initial meeting last Sunday and discussed many different topics ranging from providing takeout food service to figuring out how to keep the doors to bathroom stalls clean on a busy day. I was going to say ‘on a Saturday’ but, while so few people are working, every day is Saturday.
The Committee knows they need to move quickly. Our Club touches so many areas! Who would have thought that a private parking lot could be closed? We need to make decisions relating to food service, cleaning/sanitizing the kitchen, ensuring cleanliness of public areas and rooms upstairs, public restrooms and more. A plan of action will be determined for each area of the Club. Decisions that we make will be based on science and the facts. You may not like every decision (like closing the parking lot) but please understand that every decision that we make will be discussed before it is implemented. Also, please remember that the State, New Hanover County and the Town of Wrightsville Beach are making some of the decisions for us.
We have never experienced anything like this. Our goal is to balance public health with the activities of the Club. We WANT you to be able to enjoy the beach. However, we probably won’t have games on July 4th. It is doubtful that we’ll have a Bingo this year.
Please be patient as we work through all of the issues. We’ll keep you informed as decisions are made.
~ Jan Sheppard, President of the Board
PARKING LOT UPDATE On Wednesday afternoon, Wrightsville Beach issued a new order. While the order states that private parking lots must be closed, we have been assured by multiple sources that we can open our lot on Friday, May 8 at 5:00. Please keep the following in mind when parking in the lot – and share the rules with your children who may drive to the Club.
- Only cars with 2019 HSC stickers are allowed to park. No guest passes will be given out. Cars without stickers may be towed at the owners’ expense.
- The Club remains closed – no bathrooms are available
- Social distancing MUST be maintained – no congregating
- No grilling is allowed at the sound or the main Club building
- You may use the rocking chairs. Please bring disinfectant wipes to clean the chairs before and after use.
- Masks are recommended
- The strand is open for non-stationery exercise only. You may walk, run, swim, exercise, surf – but you may NOT fish, sit, sunbathe, or play games. No beach equipment is allowed on the beach.
You may view the latest Wrightsville Beach order HERE
HSC FACEBOOK PRIVATE GROUP The fastest way to get information to our members is through our private group page on Facebook. Even if you do not like social media, this is the perfect time to join Facebook – even if only to view updates from the Club. There is currently a short poll on Facebook that we would like members to complete. It will help us make plans for providing take-out food service. Please have only one person per family complete the form and do not share the poll on your personal FB page. We want responses only from members. We will be doing other polls as the season progresses. We need your opinions to help us plan activities/meals that you want.
MANAGER SEARCH The search for a new General Manager continues. We have completed the first two phases of the interview process and finalists have been selected. After one further interview, a recommendation will be made to the Board. Look for an announcement next week on where we stand. This has been an exhaustive process involving 7 total interviewers and MANY resumes and applications. Our hope is to choose a manager who can help improve the culture and member experience for all of our members.
THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS Over the past few weeks, we have lost several Club members. Due to Covid requirements, public services were not held. If we receive more information on memorial services or celebrations of life, we will post it. Our love and prayers to the friends and family of:
Craig Stroud Schutt – passed away in mid-April.
Jean Tilley – passed away a few weeks ago.
Dixie Peterson – passed away on April 28. Her obituary is HERE
NEW WEBSITE The season opening letter will be going out in the near future. Look for an information page concerning our new website. Each member will need to register and have your membership validated. This site will allow you to pay bills securely online, make meal reservations, view the member roster, and eventually will contain most of the documents found on the current website. It is a work in progress. Be sure to save the info on your mailing. The name to register has to be EXACTLY the name registered in our database – which is the mailing address for all Club correspondence.
