Park Manager’s Report – BOD Meeting, September 2017
As another season draws to a close, I thank all the volunteers who kept our park looking so good, the committee members who kept our park organized and enabled us to keep moving forward, and the Directors who, at times, were willing to throw themselves in front of the bus in order to provide the professional leadership our park needs and enjoys.
I also thank the employees of TCCOM administration and maintenance. Without their support, teamwork, and input, managing this Park in a professional way would be impossible.
Office Assistant – 2018
As you may know, Shirley and Dave Hansen have sold their unit at TCCOM. Shirley will complete this season as one of our part-time Office Assistants, but we need a new Assistant for the 2018 season. The position requires good people skills, multitasking, and schedule flexibility. The Office Assistant generally works two days per week and every third weekend. However, this can change as your or other administration staff schedules change. If interested, please inquire at the office or complete the Job Application on our website, Member Tab, Park Communications link. A copy of the job description can also be found there.
Wheels
Marge Marschel, Lot 904, has done an excellent job this season leading the Communications committee to produce our Wheels publication. As many may know, she and Wayne are selling their TCCOM property. Marge has indicated she will continue to produce Wheels until they sell; however, a new publisher is needed. If interested in learning more about this volunteer position, please let me know. I’m sure Marge will help train you before she leaves this season.
Boat Landing Area
At the 9/1/17 Board Workshop and affirmed at today’s Board meeting, the BOD approved a Policy and Procedure for boat storage at the Boat Landing. The boat lots will be set up during the offseason so if you have a boat stored in the Boat Landing area, please notify the office, and ensure that you have a current boat license. Copies of the Policy and Procedure are available at the office.
Beaudry Oil LP Gas
Beaudry Oil provided me with a copy pertaining to issues some members encountered with the fall fill. They are still honing their procedures with respect to servicing a park-like ours versus their standard residential customer.
The smell of propane throughout the park:
- On the days of delivery in the park, there will be a smell of propane throughout the park. Part of the delivery process requires opening the fixed maximum liquid level gauge as the tank is being filled. This process allows propane vapor to escape as liquid propane is filling the tank. Once this gauge starts to spit liquid propane, the tank is full. LP vapor that escapes the tank (such as in a pressure release due to rising outdoor temperatures) is not combustible like gasoline fumes. It is not an emergency situation it is normal.
Emergency service calls:
- In the instance that there is a need for delivery or service after hours or on a weekend there may be extra fees incurred.
Delivery charge credit:
- During our last delivery process the driver had added a $4.00 delivery charge on all of the deliveries the first day. These charges will be credited to your account for use on the next delivery. I do apologize for the error; it will not happen again.
Garden Plots
If you would like a garden plot in 2018 please notify the Office prior to leaving the Park especially if you want the same garden plot as in 2017. Plots are approximately 7′ x 16′ and located just east of the dumpsters in the Clear Lake Township Park. There is no cost for these plots as long as they are cleaned up at the end of the season.
Erkens Water Softeners
We are taking reservations in the Office for the 2018 season. I don’t have costs yet but this season they were $98 per tank. We bulk order tanks in April for pick-up by members after April 15th.
Extra Food at the End of Season
We have put out the large blue barrel in the lower level of the Clubhouse by the puzzles for sealed dry foods, canned goods, and liquids. There is a separate box for unsealed dry food containers. However, the inner containers must be sealed. (i.e. an opened box of saltines with the inner individual packages is still sealed.)
- Water Softeners — Prior to leaving the Park for the season, please return your water softener to the Clubhouse and ensure the fittings are attached (and not on your hose).
- Blow-Out Compressors — We have two compressors to blow out your trailers. The sign-up sheet is on the sign-up table on the upper level of the Clubhouse. Please plan ahead.
- Garden Plots Please clean off your garden plot prior to leaving for the season and return lot # stakes and flags to the Office. Do not put organics in household trash. They go in the temporary leaf pile.
- Shareholder Packets Please pick up your packet with Bylaws and Rules updates at the Office prior to leaving for the season. Please return the completed Shareholder Information Sheet to the Office prior to leaving.
- Golf Cart Driving Age — A person 15 to 18 with a driver’s license may drive on their own. Drivers over 18, even without a license, may continue to drive on their own. A person age 15 to 18 with a driver’s learner permit may drive a golf cart in the Park with an adult over 18 or a person with a driver’s license in the passenger’s seat.
- Park Water Blow-Out is October 13th. Shareholders may stay in the Park overnight until the morning of October 16, 2017. You may visit the Park anytime during the off-season (don’t forget your gate key). However, you cannot stay overnight between October 16, 2017, and April 14, 2018.
- Trailer Winterization If you do not have someone doing the blow-out for you, we have ideas for winterizing your trailer on our website, Member Tab, Park Communications link.
- Boats & Trailers may be stored on your driveway during the off-season (October 16 to April 14). They cannot be put on your residential lot prior to October 13th and must be removed no later than April 17th. During the season they must be kept on your outside storage lot or off-site.
Soft Water
Over the past few years, the Office has coordinated the bulk purchase of seasonal water softeners for the members first Culligan, then Erkens. We’ve had mixed reviews with both softeners. For most the softeners last all season, for others, they run out early — in some cases within two months. Therefore, I’ve been doing additional research on possible solutions to the problem of inconsistent performance. With help, I’ve come up with two possible solutions for those dissatisfied with the current program.
A whole house Electronic Water Descaler —
In the first half of this season, I went without a water softener. And, as you might expect, I had rust build-up on the showerhead and around the faucet handles and the water was hard.
About mid-July, I installed an Eddy Water Descaler Electronic Water Softener purchased from Amazon for under $200.00. The following is a link to the website. I already had a GFI protected outlet by the trailer water intake so I didn’t need an electrician to install the descaler.
As of this writing, I haven’t seen any of the rust re-appear and, though the water won’t test as soft, it feels softer and suds more than the hard water.
A Mobile Water Softener (designed for RVs) —
Greg purchased a 16kgr H2O Mobile Soft Water TM Softener from HydroTec Systems Company, Inc. for about $240.00. It is quite unique in that it uses only a small amount of regular table salt to interact with the resin and soften the water. This treats water that will actually test as soft water like any softener. This unit can also be winterized using the compressors at the Clubhouse. Greg has been pleased with the results. A link to this unit follows.
http://www.purehts.com/Purehts2013/Sports-Softeners.html
Both of these suppliers have videos you can watch and sales literature to read to give you more information. However, they are not the only manufacturers of descalers or RV water softeners. These are the two Greg and I tested based on our own research of the marketplace.
For those not 100% satisfied with the Office water softener program, I thought I’d include this information now instead of waiting until next season. That way you have the entire off-season to do your own research and evaluate what you want to do next year.
Caddy Shack News
Wow! What a great season! As of September 8th, the caddy shack had collected $8,123 in golf tickets. That is more than a thousand dollars over last year. This would not have been possible without the help of all the great volunteers who helped man the caddy shack and were rangers on the course. Thank you all so much. You are much appreciated. Although you are all indispensable, I want to say a special thank you to Jan Mino who was always there to help or to take over when I could not be there. I hope you will be here next year to help out again. Let’s recruit more people to join our ranks. It is a really fun two hours (yep, only two) and you get to meet and greet the wonderful people who live here in TCCOM and their guests. Thank you!
Activity Report
Thanks to everyone for participating in the chili cook-off over Labor Day weekend. We had 11 chefs bring a pot of chili for the contest. 105 people tasted and voted on their favorite chili. We gave trophies to the chefs with the most votes.
Save the date: August 4 and 5, 2018, 40th-anniversary party for TCCOM.
August 4 street dance in the evening; on August 5, program and dinner. We are looking for someone from the 400-row to chair the taco dinner and someone from the 300-row to chair Sundaes on Saturday in 2018.
Thanks to everyone who chaired, helped, and participated in events that were held in 2017. Looking forward to another great year in 2018.