(May 5, 2016) The OPA Board of Directors voted 4-3 to keep a new racquet sports promotion in place, although that did not happen without a somewhat lengthy fight.
The vote came last Thursday after Director Tom Herrick said he had concerns with the suggestion that racquet sports offer a free one-week membership to homeowners, residents and nonresidents.
Herrick suggested the promotion violated association bylaws (M-02)
because the offer was introduced to the public without board approval.
Herrick also said he opposed offering free membership to nonassociation members. He moved to “cease and desist” the promotion before its May 1 start date, until further discussion could be held.
General Manager Bob Thompson, however, defended the offer, saying membership to that particular amenity had sharply declined during recent years. If the association was going to spend money on the proposed improvements at the Manklin Meadows Racquet Sports complex, he suggested it focus on building membership there.
Aquatics, for example, had run promotions that led to scores of new memberships, bringing the amenity closer to producing a balanced budget.
Board Vice President Cheryl Jacobs said she received an email from Director Jack Collins, the liaison to the racquet sports committee, stating that all nine members of that group were in favor of the promotion.
When Herrick worried aloud that free memberships could make it difficult for current members, who he said were already pressed for space, Thompson again restated the approval of the racquet sports committee.
“Their engagement and acceptance of it means they understand … the consequences,” he said. “We don’t want to disenfranchise our membership, however, we want to grow the membership.”
Director Dave Stevens argued that extending the promotion to non-homeowners was a “blatant disregard” of the bylaws.
“I can see no justification for ignoring [the bylaws] and proceeding, particularly without notification to the board,” he said.
Director Bill Cordwell fired back that the particular section of the bylaws cited was simply “a tool to micromanage [Thompson],” and that platform tennis had offered similar promotions in the past.
“This has been going on for a while. To think that we’re going to have this big procession of cars come over from Ocean City to jam these things is just pie in the sky. It’s ‘the sky is falling, the sky is falling,’” Cordwell said. “If you go by M-02, then pretty much after this meeting here we’re going to have to meet every week, as a board, to approve specials at the yacht club.”
Jacobs said she spent a Saturday with Herrick looking at the courts and found them empty, and that he underscored the decline in membership there.
“These courts sit empty,” she said. “An effort to fill these courts with members who reside in the community, or outside of the community, has to be a good thing.”
Jacobs went on to say the racquet sports committee had a liaison – Collins – who could have brought the matter to the board before the promotion was released.
“Is that an accusation? Are you accusing me of something?” Collins asked.
“I’m simply stating facts,” Jacobs said. “I believe having this motion now to have further discussion doesn’t make any sense, because we’ve been sitting here discussing it. What more discussion is appropriate at this point?”
Collins clarified that he did not bring the matter to the attention of the board during a public session after it was discussed in the committee in March. Instead, he said he “initiated an email.”
More than a half hour into the discussion, President Pat Renaud called the question. Herrick, Stevens and Collins voted in favor of halting the promotion.
The vote came last Thursday after Director Tom Herrick said he had concerns with the suggestion that racquet sports offer a free one-week membership to homeowners, residents and nonresidents.
Herrick suggested the promotion violated association bylaws (M-02)
because the offer was introduced to the public without board approval.
Herrick also said he opposed offering free membership to nonassociation members. He moved to “cease and desist” the promotion before its May 1 start date, until further discussion could be held.
General Manager Bob Thompson, however, defended the offer, saying membership to that particular amenity had sharply declined during recent years. If the association was going to spend money on the proposed improvements at the Manklin Meadows Racquet Sports complex, he suggested it focus on building membership there.
Aquatics, for example, had run promotions that led to scores of new memberships, bringing the amenity closer to producing a balanced budget.
Board Vice President Cheryl Jacobs said she received an email from Director Jack Collins, the liaison to the racquet sports committee, stating that all nine members of that group were in favor of the promotion.
When Herrick worried aloud that free memberships could make it difficult for current members, who he said were already pressed for space, Thompson again restated the approval of the racquet sports committee.
“Their engagement and acceptance of it means they understand … the consequences,” he said. “We don’t want to disenfranchise our membership, however, we want to grow the membership.”
Director Dave Stevens argued that extending the promotion to non-homeowners was a “blatant disregard” of the bylaws.
“I can see no justification for ignoring [the bylaws] and proceeding, particularly without notification to the board,” he said.
Director Bill Cordwell fired back that the particular section of the bylaws cited was simply “a tool to micromanage [Thompson],” and that platform tennis had offered similar promotions in the past.
“This has been going on for a while. To think that we’re going to have this big procession of cars come over from Ocean City to jam these things is just pie in the sky. It’s ‘the sky is falling, the sky is falling,’” Cordwell said. “If you go by M-02, then pretty much after this meeting here we’re going to have to meet every week, as a board, to approve specials at the yacht club.”
Jacobs said she spent a Saturday with Herrick looking at the courts and found them empty, and that he underscored the decline in membership there.
“These courts sit empty,” she said. “An effort to fill these courts with members who reside in the community, or outside of the community, has to be a good thing.”
Jacobs went on to say the racquet sports committee had a liaison – Collins – who could have brought the matter to the board before the promotion was released.
“Is that an accusation? Are you accusing me of something?” Collins asked.
“I’m simply stating facts,” Jacobs said. “I believe having this motion now to have further discussion doesn’t make any sense, because we’ve been sitting here discussing it. What more discussion is appropriate at this point?”
Collins clarified that he did not bring the matter to the attention of the board during a public session after it was discussed in the committee in March. Instead, he said he “initiated an email.”
More than a half hour into the discussion, President Pat Renaud called the question. Herrick, Stevens and Collins voted in favor of halting the promotion.