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 4^th. 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.

1. 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.
2. The Club remains closed – no bathrooms are available
3. Social distancing MUST be maintained – no congregating
4. No grilling is allowed at the sound or the main Club building
5. You may use the rocking chairs. Please bring disinfectant wipes to clean the chairs before and after use.
6. Masks are recommended
7. 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.

Wrightsville Beach has ordered that all private parking lots, including ours, be closed. Members may NOT park in the Club parking lots. Violators may be issued a ticket ($500 fine) and have their cars towed. Remember, this is not a HSC rule. We don’t like it any better than you!  We will let members know when the parking lots reopen.

We hope that everyone is healthy and surviving social distancing and home schooling!

Due to social distancing for Covid19, the uncertainty of when the Club will be able to reopen, and the financial impact this has had on many of our members, the Board has approved the following:

• The due date for room payments has been moved from the first Friday in May (May 1) as stated in the Room Reservation Policy to one week prior to the Club opening. Members who have reserved rooms will be notified of the payment date by Constant Contact email, on Facebook and on the web site as soon as we have clarification on when the Club can reopen.

• Any member who has reserved a room and has been financially impacted from the Covid19 Executive Orders can pay room fees in installments with $200 due one week before the Club reopens and the remainder due one week prior to their scheduled stay.

• No further room reservations for the Spring or Summer season (Memorial Day through Labor Day) will be accepted until we have verification of when the Club will reopen. Any available rooms will be saved for those who made reservations for early in the summer and may lose them due to Covid19.

If your vacation plans change, and you find you no longer need the room you reserved, please call the Club office at 910-256-2726 as soon as possible and leave a message canceling your room reservation. If you mailed a room reservation form and have not received a bill, contact help@hanoverseaside.com.

MANAGER POSITION: In an effort to improve member experience and the overall culture of the Club, on March 24 the Board unanimously approved the termination of our current Club Manager. As of Monday, March 30, Victor Brown is no longer an employee of the Hanover Seaside Club. Specific personnel matters are handled in closed session and will not be disclosed to members. The Operations Committee will begin searching for a new manager immediately. If you know of anyone in the hospitality industry who you feel would be a good fit for this position, have them send a resume to Jan Sheppard, Hanover Seaside Club, PO Box 434, Wrightsville Beach, NC, 28480.

COVID19 UPDATE: To meet state and local guidelines, the Hanover Seaside Club will be closed for at least 30 days. The building will remain locked; therefore, there will be no access to bathrooms or the front office. Staff hours are being reduced, so there may not be anyone available to answer the phones during normal business hours. If you have questions, you may leave a message on the answering machine and your call will be returned as quickly as possible. Our hope is still to open in time for Mother’s Day, but we will not know until late April if that will be the case. We will keep you updated on plans as we make them.

SUMMER ROOM RESERVATIONS: Statements for summer room reservations should be e-mailed in the next few days. In order to confirm your reservation, you must pay the fee by Friday May 1. You may pay online using the payment portal at hanoverseaside.com or mail a check to the PO Box. If you would like to pay over the phone, leave a message on the answering machine and someone will call you back to get credit card information. Please do not leave credit card information on the answering machine. A list of available rooms will be posted in the near future.

OFF SEASON ROOM RENTALS: According to the Room Rental Policy, room rentals for off season must be paid within 30 days of making the reservation However, this policy has never been adhered to. There has been a problem with members reserving rooms and canceling at the last minute, or not canceling at all and not showing up. This has happened on high demands weekends during the Fall and Spring. The Board has approved the following revision to the Room Rental Policy:

1. Bills for off season room rentals must be paid at the time of reservation. Methods of payment are the same as for summer season bills. Rooms will be held for no more than 1 week after the reservation is made without payment.
2. A full refund will be provided for cancelations made at least 14 days prior to move-in date. In emergency situations, the refund policy for off-season rentals may be changed by the Board.

The revised Room Rental Policy is located on the Quick Links page of the website. Statements will be sent/calls made to those who have rented rooms for the Fall season.

ON SEASON ROOM RENTALS: Beginning this summer, check out time for room rentals is 11:00am instead of noon. This will give more time for thorough cleaning of rooms. Check in time will remain 4:00pm.

MEAL PRICING: As approved in the 2020 budget, evening meals and Sunday lunch prices have been increased 15%. The Operations Committee is working hard to improve meal satisfaction and reduce losses in the dining room. We found that 2019 breakfast pricing more than covered the cost of food, supplies, and staff; therefore, prices for breakfast prices will not increase this year.

605 SOUTH LUMINA COMMITTEE: Our designer has provided a revised plan that meets Wrightsville Beach code. The Committee is moving forward with engineering reports, selecting a builder, and securing financing. A called meeting of Regular Members will be scheduled for early summer to approve plans to begin work on the duplex. The goal is to complete construction and furnishing/decorating in time to rent the building for the 2021 summer season.

BOARD MEETINGS: Until Social Distancing requirements are removed, the Board will be meeting via teleconferencing. The platform we are using will allow for a limited number of users. If you would like to conference in, you must contact the President, Jan Sheppard, to receive the link. You will not be able to speak unless you request prior approval from the President. All microphones for guests will be muted. All guests will be required to log out for any closed session business. The next meeting will be Tuesday, April 14 at 6:00pm. This will be a short meeting to discuss personnel issues. The regular April meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 28 at 6:00pm.

1. Member requests may be mailed beginning March 2, with guest requests to follow on March 9
2. if you want to request 2 weeks, you must complete 2 forms. Be sure to note if the weeks must be consecutive.
3. The forms must be mailed to the PO Box – you may NOT drop them by the office – and the postmark is used when assigning rooms
4. All dues and any other outstanding fees MUST BE PAID in full in order to request a room
5. If you want to request a room for a guest or you want several rooms the same week for your family/friends, choose a week in early June or later August to have the best chance of getting your request. From mid-June through mid-August, nearly all rooms are needed for members and it is difficult to keep large groups together.
6. Every year there are several weeks that have WAY more requests than we have rooms. For one week in July last year, there were 25 requests for 14 rooms. It helps tremendously if you can provide an alternate week. The committee who assigns rooms works extremely hard to help all of our members have the vacation they desire. By providing an alternate week, you have a better chance of having your request granted. If you are not able to provide an alternate due to work, school, or family responsibilities, please note that on your form.
7. You may NOT request a room under your membership, but allow a non-member to occupy the room without you. For example, you cannot rent a room and give it to your adult child who is not a member. They can stay with you, but you must also occupy the room.
8. Room assignments are made based on the number of people sharing a room and the need for a full bath. There are only 2 large rooms (3 double beds), and 3 rooms with full baths. The room selection committee tries to be fair and meet the needs of all members. Be sure to state the names and ages of all members and guests who will occupy a room to make it easier for us to do our job.
9. Members ALWAYS receive priority over guests when scheduling rooms
10. Be sure to pay for your room by the due date or you could lose your reservation
11. Familiarize yourself with the Room Reservation Policy (I know I already said this, but it bears repeating)