News ~ May 31, 2020

SAVE THE DATE:

The 605 South Lumina Committee has been working hard for the Club. In the next couple of weeks, the plans will go to selected builders to get estimates. Once estimates are in, the committee will once again speak with bankers to find our best options for financing. At that point, the Regular Membership will need to vote on the builder and financing. We cannot meet until the Governor moves us to a phase that allows enough people to meet in one location to approve the motions. We are hoping that will happen by the end of July. So please save the date of Saturday, August 1 at 10:00am for a called Regular Meeting at the Club. Our Constitution requires us to mail information 30 days prior to the meeting; therefore, letters will go out by July 1. If the Governor does not allow a gathering the size we need by August 1, we will have to cancel the meeting. We also may have to get creative to make our meeting happen while meeting any Executive Order in place on August 1. Our goal is to have the duplex complete and ready to rent for the 2021 summer rental season. Look for more information on this soon.

NEW MANAGER:

Our new manager, Peter Bourne, has moved in and started work. We are excited to have Peter on board. He brings several years of Assistant Manager experience at Beau Rivage where he worked with members and guests. He is looking forward to meeting our members and helping us make the most of our Club during difficult times. Please stop and introduce yourself to Peter when you see him at the Club.

• First offense – Personal phone call from the manager – verbal reprimand.
• Second offense – Letter from the House Committee Chair noting the reported offense and stating that if there is a third offense of any type, disciplinary action up to and including a fine or suspension of membership could occur.
• Third offense – Membership suspended. Member not allowed to use Club facilities for 7 days
• Fourth offense – Membership suspended. Member not allowed to use Club facilities for 30 days + $100 fine
• Fifth offense – Membership suspended for the remainder of the fiscal year (October 31)
• Final offense –If member/family member comes onto Club property while suspended, membership will be terminated.

Hanover Seaside Club Re-Opening Plan: Update May 28, 2020

The COVID-19 Committee, the Operations and House Committees, and the Board of Directors are working extremely hard to open the Club as quickly and safely as possible for members and staff. Our first priority is the health of everyone who comes onto our property. As guidelines and orders change, our rules and regulations will change. Hopefully, as the summer progresses we can loosen some of the rules. We will provide updates as often as possible to keep members informed.

Please make sure everyone in your household knows and understands the rules and regulations. Please be respectful to our staff. They do not make policy, yet they are required to enforce it.

Rules from last week continue. 

1. First floor is open for restrooms. No showers or changing rooms are available.
2. Masks must be worn when entering the building – even when just going to the bathroom. Masks are recommended when outside on porches.
3. Per NC Executive Order, only 26 people allowed in the snack bar area at any one time. Entrance door is the door on the south side – gravel lot. Exit door is the ocean side door. Members should only enter and exit the correct door to prevent passing too closely to other members.
4. Only two people or one family is allowed on the elevator at one time. Except for the main front steps to the 2^nd floor, only one person/family should be on the steps at once. The person going UP has the right of way. No passing on stairs is allowed. When using the main steps, keep right.
5. Disinfection of high touch surfaces will be moved to every 4 hours. Disinfectant spray and hand sanitizer will be located throughout the Club for member use.
6. No groups larger than 10 will be allowed indoors. Outside groups are limited to 25.

No guests are allowed on Club property  

1. No guest parking passes will be given.
2. Passes for members who do not have a parking sticker (3^rd car in a family) will be given out from the office on Monday through Friday from 10:00 to 4:00. The person requesting the pass must show ID and provide their member number. No passes will be given on weekends.
3. Cars without stickers or day passes will be towed.
4. Guests may NOT ride with a member and use Club facilities including walkways, porches, and sound property.
5. The only exception to the no guest policy is guests renting rooms when the 3rd floor re-opens.

May 28 – The office, 2^nd floor restrooms and Parlor will open 

1. Only one person/family will be allowed in the office at one time.
2. Per NC Executive Order, only 5 people or one family will be allowed in the Parlor at one time.
3. Hand sanitizer will be located at each entrance to the 2^nd floor. Disinfectant spray will be placed in both restrooms on the 2^nd floor. Bathrooms will be cleaned by staff every four hours, or as often as needed. Members are welcome to use disinfectant spray between cleaning times.

May 30 – The Snack Bar will open for drinks, ice cream and snacks. 

1. Hours: 11-4 on Saturday and Sunday. 11-2:00 Tuesday through Friday. Closed on Monday. The snack bar may not open, or may have limited hours, during inclement weather. If there is not sufficient business, the Board will reconsider the hours.
2. No money will change hands at the snack bar. All charges will first be removed from the dining room minimum. When the dining room minimum is exhausted, charges will be made to the members’ accounts. Members must pay all charges by the first of each month. Payment can be made online through the hanoverseaside.club website. Members must register for the website to place online food orders and pay charges online.

June 6 – Third floor will open for those who reserved rooms. 

1. On the first week, reservations will run from Saturday at 4:00pm until the next Saturday at 11:00am. After the first week, check-in will be Sunday at 4:00pm until Saturday at 11:00am.
2. Only those members renting rooms will be allowed on the 3^rd floor or 3^rd floor porches.
3. Social distancing must be maintained. Only one family or 5 people will be allowed to use the hallway at one time. To allow all upstairs residents the opportunity to use the hallway, time should be limited to 30 minutes.
4. Masks must be worn when inside the building except when in your room and when going to and from the showers.
5. Room doors should always remain closed.
6. A maximum of 3 people or 1 family will be allowed on the sound side porch at once. The ocean side porch can accommodate 4 people or 1 family.
7. Each person staying on the 3^rd floor will be screened at check-in, including temperature check. Temperature will be rechecked daily.
8. Ice machines can only be accessed by staff. Members are not allowed to get ice from the machines.
9. The laundry room is available to only one family at the time. You may sign up for laundry room times at the office.
10. Third floor residents must provide their own sheets, towels, and pillows.
11. We also suggest that each resident family bring a non-slip tub mat to prevent slipping in the shower. Showers will be cleaned and disinfected daily. Disinfectant will be available in the showers. Disinfectant can make the shower floors extremely slippery.

June 6 – Snack Bar menu (cooked food) will begin. 

1. All food will be prepared in the main kitchen.
2. Orders will be placed by online portal or by calling the Club office.
3. Snack bar orders will be ready within 30 minutes of placement.
4. Orders will be picked up at the top of the ocean side stairs on the 2^nd floor. Members will remain downstairs, maintaining social distancing, until their name is called.
5. As with cold items, no money will change hands. All charges will be placed on account.
6. Snack bar hot food hours: Saturday-Sunday 11:00am – 4:00pm. Orders must be placed by 3:30  Tuesday – Friday 11:00 – 2:00. Orders must be placed by 1:30
7. No Sunday lunch will be served at this time. The kitchen cannot handle snack bar orders and Sunday lunch simultaneously. With no members on the 3^rd floor on Saturday evening, the need for Sunday lunch is greatly reduced. We may add boxed meals later in the summer.

June 8 – Dining Room Opens 

1. Meals will be served in the dining room on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings.
2. Members staying on the 3^rd floor will have assigned tables and an assigned time to go through the serving line. If space allows, other members may make reservations to dine in the dining room. The number allowed will change on a week-by-week basis, with the number not to exceed the NC Executive order #141 Emergency Maximum Occupancy.
3. Take out orders will be available for 3^rd floor residents, as well as other members who order at least 24 hours in advance.
4. Menus will be placed on the website no later than Thursday for the next week.
5. Third floor residents will complete a disposable menu stating their entrée preference for each day of the week. The menu can be changed during the week.
6. Members calling to make dining room or take out orders will also state their entrée preference. This will reduce waste in the dining room.
7. No member staying on the 3^rd floor may have guests for meals sit at the table with them, even if the guest is also a member. All 3^rd floor residents will be screened, other members coming for meals will not. We do not want 3^rd floor residents exposed to others during the week. Third floor residents are expected to maintain social distancing from members not staying upstairs.
8. Diners will not be allowed to handle napkins, utencils, trays, plates, bowls, glasses, etc., until their tray is placed on the table at the end of the serving line. There will be no Salad Bar. No diner is allowed to get coffee or drinks at any time. The self-serve beverage area is closed to diners.
9. Masks must be worn in the dining room except when diners are seated at their assigned table. When going through the serving line and after the meal is complete, masks must be in place.
10. Limited use of the dining room for social activities is allowed if masks are worn. Tables should be disinfected after use.

If there is a known or suspected case of COVID-19 by anyone using the Club, the Emergency Closure Plan will be enacted. When complete, this plan will be placed on the Quick Links page of the website. This plan will result in some or all areas of the Club being closed for cleaning/disinfecting.

Meal Price Correction:

Thanks to the eagle eyes of Cher Pridgen, our Vice President, we realized there was an error in the meal pricing in the season opening letter. We have tracked down the error and fixed it. It did not affect breakfast prices because they did not change from last year. Dinner prices for 2020 are as follows:

Adults: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday $14 + tax = $14.98

Friday, Sunday $16 + tax = $17.12

Children (6-12): All dinners $8 + tax = $8.56

Rules for Club Use:

Thanks to all of the members who followed the rules for using the Club over the Memorial Day weekend. Sadly, we had members who did not follow the rules. Many of the rule breakers were teens without parents, so please make sure your children know the rules. These rules were not made easily, or lightly. The goal is to protect the health of our members AND our staff. Keep the following in mind:

1. You must wear a mask any time you enter the building – even if just using the restroom
2. The door on the south side – gravel lot – is the ENTRANCE door. Do not EXIT that door.
3. The door on the ocean side is the EXIT door. Do not ENTER that door.
4. Guests are not allowed on Club property during this time. No guest passes will be given, nor will guests be allowed in the building. Due to State regulations, we can have a minimal number of people in any area at the same time, including walkways and outside showers. We need to reserve the space for our members.

Please be courteous when crossing the walkway to/from the beach. Allow the person/family on the walkway to get off before entering the narrow part of the walkway. The walkway is too narrow to pass closely together – especially with beach gear.

Room Availability:

There are rooms available to rent for most weeks this summer. For now, we are accepting reservations for members or family of members staying the same week. At this moment, we are not accepting reservations for guests who are not family members of someone staying the same week. That could change as the summer progresses. Room availability is changing on a near hourly basis. Rooms are rented on a first come-first served basis by calling the Club office. Be prepared to pay for the room when you make reservations. This is what is currently available:

June 6-13, 8 rooms

June 14-20, 3 rooms

June 21-27, 1 room

June 28-July 4, 5 rooms

July 5-11, 2 rooms

July 12-18, 1 room

July 19-25, 1 room

July 26-August 1, 3 rooms

August 2-8, 2 rooms

August 9-15, 8 rooms

August 16-22, 10 rooms

August 23-29, 11 rooms

August 29-September 5, 2 rooms

All room regulations are subject to change as recommendations are made by the COVID-19 Committee. At this time, except for the first and last week, room rental will be 6 nights. Check-in will be on Sunday at 4:00pm with check-out on Saturday at 11:00am. The week of June 6, renters may check-in on Saturday at 4:00pm since there is nobody staying previous to that date. The week beginning August 29, check in will be on Sunday, with check out on Labor Day Monday, unless alternate arrangements are made.

More information will be coming out later in the week concerning Club usage.

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.