Greetings:

Please find enclosed your 2009-10 renewal notice for Soo Curlers.  Curling will start the Tuesday, October 13^th, after Thanksgiving as usual. There will be a brief interruption to the season this year.  As you know the Tournament of Hearts will be in the Sault this year. At this time 450 people have volunteered to assist with this event.  During this event Soo Curlers will be made over into The Heart Stop Lounge. Buses will run from the Essar Centre to the club to bring curlers and fans to the lounge.  This will require a stoppage in play for about two weeks.  More details will be provided as the season progresses.

The work on the mezzanine floor was completed during the summer.  There is one less step so look down as you go upstairs until you are conditioned to the change.  This new flat area will provide additional table seating on this level.

There will be a flat increase of $20 across the board in all categories of fees.  On or before Sept 26th fees can be paid at the 2008 rate.  In addition fees paid on or before Sept 26th will entitle the curler to one free Hoedown ticket.  The big draw prize is provided by Garland again this year so bring your free ticket to the club during the Hoedown and get the opportunity for a free chance at the Garland Golf package.  Additionally, you could enjoy some good food and great entertainment.  Unlimited memberships will receive two free Hoedown tickets.  As a special bonus unlimited memberships purchased before the Hoedown will receive $20 in gift certificates to be used at the club.  Fees may be paid in person at the club starting September 8^th,  Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. – Tuesday & Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.   You can drop a cheque through the mail slot anytime.  Fees can be paid until 10:00 pm at the Hoedown.     A note of interest, the previous year bank charges and interest were $5,787.00. Last year we asked that members not pay with CREDIT CARDS and the same costs were $3,612.00.  This is a savings to the club that costs individuals very little.  Keep up the good work.

The auditor’s report is in.  A full report will be given at the Semi-annual meeting on Sept 24^th.  The club stayed in the black last year but overall sales were down.  With the changes to the “legal limit laws” the bar sales were significantly down.  The Board is always looking for ways to increase revenue and all suggestions would be appreciated. Membership participation in events like the Hoedown certainly help.  The Friday fish fry has been a tremendous success.  It is hard to believe but there are still members who have never tried it.  Member participation in Hoedowns, attending the Fish Fry and other events help to moderate our fee increases.

George Johnstone has volunteered to fill one of the vacant board positions.  There is still one available should you be willing to assist in this area.

Somehow summer has past us by so getting back on the ice will be welcomed.  From the Board welcome back and good curling.

Eric Kirby

President

Soo Curlers 2008-2009 Season

Welcome to the new curling season rapidly approaching our club.  

Work continues at the Club. Expected capital projects include acquiring new chairs for both sides of the lounge as the wooden ones are now resisting glue having been glued several times. Some have been removed from service as they were unsafe. A sliding wall to separate the two sides is being investigated which would allow for a better layout when renting part of the upstairs. The main compressor running the ice production is up for an overhaul which will run about $6 000

Quoting directly from last year’s letter:

“Fees have been set and we hope that everyone takes advantage of the opportunities to curl and support the club. Some fees have dropped and others although slightly higher offer more opportunities for the members to curl. It is hoped that we can build a capital fund to cover the unanticipated expenses that arise in a 40 yr old building. It also allows us to plan for the inevitable… new rocks… ours will need replacing, hopefully later than sooner, but we must plan now. They are a huge expense.”

Our fee structure this year is based on the last two years’ performance. Two years ago we were required to draw down $20 000 from reserves to cover costs for the year. Last year, the Juniors provided the club with additional income of almost $20 000. It is therefore reasonable to expect that we will require an extra $20 000 this year. Working on a membership of 500, this amounts to $40 per member for the upcoming year. This increase equates to giving up one Tim’s coffee and a donut each week of the curling season. If we do not incur any major capital expenses that we cannot cover from the capital expense fees, we project that next year we will not have to use our line of credit to get through the summer.

Rental fees will also increase which includes both the Friday night Forestry league and the Mercantile league. A new membership has been introduced on a trial basis for Classic Snowbirds. This will allow them to curl until Christmas. Pass this information on to anyone you may know who has retired from the game as they spend much of the winter in the south.

We have been asked to look at cutting costs. The first one that jumped out was credit card charges. We paid over $3 700 in credit card charges. Each payment is reduced by 2.0% as a service charge. This amounts to 8 unlimited memberships. There are alternatives that members can use a) pay by cheque which costs the membership nothing b) use a debit card as the fees are considerably cheaper or c) cash.

Please remember that setting the fees is the most difficult and time consuming task we face. It is complex due to the nature of our game. We require 4 players on a team at a time, we register individually, we play a varied number of days and games a week in a variety of leagues etc.

We need our fees to be fair, yet attractive.  Since we are Not For Profit we need our fees to carry our operation for the year. We must anticipate the unforeseen and meet it and we must provide the best possible Curling conditions for ALL who use the facility whether they play 1 game a week or 5 either recreationally or competitively.

We encourage you to please come in, mail in, or carrier pigeon in your fees ASAP.

Payment options include sending registration forms and cheques to Soo Curlers Assn. 124 Anita Blvd.  S.S. Marie, On P6B 4P9. Cheques can also be dropped in the mail slot at the club.

Payment in person can be made at the club the week of Sept 15th. Hours will be posted on the website and/or in Zee’s emails and on the front doors of the club in September. 

We are trying to avoid having to tap deeper into our line of credit to pay all the bills coming due very soon. To avoid interest charges on borrowing we can pay the bills from membership payments. That is why we need them paid.

We also want to avoid the situation of having to ask people individually to pay. Your membership fees are like any other bill. Please pay them on time. It is embarrassing for both the player and us and requires a lot of time to police what should be a non issue.

Watch the emails and check out our websites  www.soocurlers.com  and http://hurryhard.tripod.com for events, specials from our kitchen or pro shop.. We can save you some $$$. Remember our kitchen can cater your functions up to 100 people: stags, Christmas parties, staff meetings etc.

Welcome new members... it is nice to see our roster growing with new names... we hope your membership at Soo Curlers is enjoyable and that you meet and make many new friends.  If you need help or advice in any area please don't hesitate to ask... our members are always happy to help. Do not forget about the HOEDOWN Sept 20, we need to pack the place. Purchase your tickets even if you can’t make it. All tickets are eligible for all the prizes including a Learn to Curl Membership ($199). As a member you can win the prize and use it as a great Christmas gift—just remember to give it early.

General membership meeting will be held Thursday, Sept 18 at 7:00 pm. We will have a 2007/2008 audit report and discuss future capital expenditures. This is your opportunity to discuss topics with the board members who work on your behalf keeping the club in a sound financial position and OPEN!!  Please get involved.

Currently the board is still short one member and is actively looking to fill this position. Interested individuals should make themselves known to a board member.

NOTE: We have to print and distribute over 250  hard copies of these letters to our members.

Happily we are sending these electronically to almost 400 recipients.

If you received a hard copy, we have no record of an email address for you.

If you have email and would like to receive the electronic updates, please forward your email address to zultekp@shaw.ca.

We can keep you better informed as well as reduce our printing / mailing costs.

Eric Kirby

President.