Saturday, December 11, 2010

2011 News and Updates

Hello Members,

Sorry to be so behind in getting out these updates... please remember, I'm only a volunteer :) I do hope you read all the way through this, as it contains some important news and updates for 2011.

Saline Update:
After doing lots of research, listening to the sales reps and debating with each other, we decided not to upgrade to saline. The bottom line is that the majority of the Board felt that there were too many risks and the rewards were questionable, based on the feedback we heard from members. If you want the details, please call me or find me somewhere at the pool or in the neighborhood.

Deck Update:
Have you seen our new deck?!? It's awesome! It has two levels and a built-in bench for watching tennis. Someday soon I hope to get all the photos online. Many thanks to all who built the old deck, which served us well for almost 25 years! And many thanks to those who showed up to demo the old deck so we could save some money and make way for our new deck. Also, a special thanks to Board Member, Braden Buck for the design and for overseeing all construction.

Budget Update:
We finished 2010 with a surplus, which we used to build the deck. The remaining surplus will go towards savings and prepayment of the loan. All the budget details will be presented at the annual meeting.

Annual Meeting: January 30th @ 5pm:
We will be electing the new 2011 Board, voting on officers, presenting the budget and discussing any news/updates. If you care about the Club, please plan to attend.

Membership Dues, Etc:
After thoroughly discussing dues, etc. during at least 3 Board meetings, we have voted on the following changes for 2011...

We will cap membership at 175. We are currently at 150 (an all-time high) and over the last 5 years have added an average of 27 memberships every year. We always lose memberships due to moves and other circumstances, but the growth has been consistent and encouraging.

We are waiving the initiation fee for new single/couple Senior Citizens (over 65). We'd like our club to reflect the entire community and want to encourage seniors to be a part of our success. Also, truthfully, in order to maintain the Club, pay off our loan, occasionally make improvements and be financially comfortable, we need more memberships. We hope this change (along with lowering dues for singles in 2008) will help us grow the club and keep us strong for many decades.

All dues are due by April 1st or there will be a $50 late fee.  After April 1st, payment (with late fee) are due in full before you come to the pool or before your kids show up for swim team practice. No exceptions, no partial payments, no payment plans, etc. We allowed this last year, on a case-by-case basis and quite frankly, it is extremely time/emotionally consuming and I just can't do it again - and no one else has volunteered. If we reach 175 memberships, any members not paid in full by April 1st will risk losing their membership. Start saving now!

We are, however, offering new members the option of paying the initiation fee early (i.e. now) in order to secure their membership.

We have not raised dues in the last 4 years and this year we decided to raise them by $25. This will still keep the family membership under $500, and we will maintain our status as being the least expensive club anywhere around town. Our initiation fee will remain the same, at $400. Our closest neighbors in Gainsborough are $100 more to join, $25 more per membership, they do not have tennis, and their facilities are about where we were 5 years ago, before all of our major improvements. We encourage you to shop around before you decide to join/renew :)

We need more volunteers to help keep costs low and morale high for all the Board members and the other small handful of people who always show up to help with work days, etc. So this year we are adding a refundable $25 work day assessment fee to all memberships. You will get 100% of it back at the end of the season if you volunteer for 3 hours. We will include work days, Friday night grilling, concession stand sales and any other opportunities that arise. Our hope is that more members will volunteer and if not, at least we will have a little extra money.

2011 Board:
I'm happy to say that we had a great Board in 2010 and the majority will be coming back for another year. However, we will probably be losing some (haven't yet received full commitments, either way from a few folks) but most likely we will have room for a couple more people. If you are interested in joining us, please let me know. I've heard from so many of you about the things you'd like to see added, done differently, etc - we all do our best to accommodate everyone, but joining the Board and volunteering to help is really the best way to ensure your voice is heard. It's a great group of people and by far it has been my favorite volunteer effort - which is why I keep coming back every year :)

I think that's all the updates I have for now. I look forward to seeing everyone on January 30th for the annual meeting. If you have any questions/concerns, please contact me anytime.

Thanks!

-Leslie Freymann

HHSTC Board Member
Membership & Communications Chair

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Deck Demolition!

Hi Members,

We have some exciting news...we finished the 2010 season with enough surplus money to build a new deck for the pool/tennis courts! To save money, we will be tearing down the existing deck ourselves - and we need help!

Please join us this Saturday (the 20th), starting at 8am and continuing until we are done. Bring work gloves and any tools/equipment that you think might help.

We hope to see you there!

-HHSTC Board

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Halloween Party!

Just a reminder - the HHSTC Halloween Party is this Sunday. If
possible, please prepay online before 4pm on Sunday:
http://www.hhstc.com/Store.html

Thanks!

*******
Join your friends and neighbors at the 5th Annual Huntley Hills Swim &
Tennis Club’s Halloween Party!

WHEN:  Sunday, October 31st  4:30-6:30 pm

WHERE:    Huntley Hills Clubhouse

WHAT:    We'll have plenty of candy for the kids, crafts, games, and a
graveyard hunt for the little ones (1-3 years). We’ll finish with a
Halloween parade, to get the trick-or-treating started. Pizza and
drinks for everyone!  Pizza served at 5:30.

The cost this year is $10.00 per family or $4.00 for an individual.

Cash at the door or pre-pay online.

We hope to see you there!

Huntley Hills Swim and Tennis Club Board
http://www.hhstc.com

Friday, October 8, 2010

HHSTC 2010 End of Year Update

Hello Members,

We thank you for your continued support and for making our club a great place.  We hope you take the time to read this End of the Year Update, although it’s a bit long.

Our neighborhood and the surrounding areas are awesome and your HHSTC membership continues to make it one of the best communities around Metro Atlanta! As a way to keep you informed on your membership investment, we wanted to update you on our activities, club news and finances, as we close the 2010 season.  

This year we had 150 memberships, the highest it has been in over 2 decades! Our membership continues to grow and this is a very good sign of things to come. We have had a few drops but the new members in and out of the community continue to surprise us. We are always anxious at the beginning of the year when membership registration is low and budget needs are the greatest, but so far, things have worked out ok for us.

Our hope, as your Board, has always been to create a great community where everyone feels welcome and everyone contributes as a volunteer and supporter. Some of the neat things our club offers include:

  • Our Friday night cookouts are the best deal around and have become the expected event and gathering place for the area. 
  • Our swim team was 4-1 and was second place in the district. There is so much potential in the younger ranks, but we are sad to see some older ones off, as they move on to new and exciting things in college. 
  • Our tennis program continues to grow and one of our highly ranked tennis team has won many recent tournaments. 
  • Great parties and social events for kids and adults, including the best July 4th party in town!
Some of the improvements we have worked on this year include:
  • Transitioning to a new pool service agency (USA Pools), which saved us lots of money. 
  • Creating an improved budgeting and financial tracking system. 
  • Organizing volunteer workdays, where we cleaned the grounds and clubhouse and installed new drainage by the tennis courts. 
  • Installing new landscaping in the front of the pool. 
  • Installing shade sails to recover lost shade from tree removals. 
  • Making a conscience effort to collect guest fees to increase revenue and protect your membership.
We continue to work on significant issues, while maintaining services, keeping a safe environment and planning for the future.  Our current debt from earlier inherited loans continues to be a very large drain on our monthly and annual bills. We have very little cushion but we continue to cut costs where we can.  We rely on volunteers do the majority of the work.  Every year we have new and unexpected costs.

Some of this year’s unexpected costs included:
  • The need for shade on the pool grounds, as one of our biggest shade trees by the baby pool died and had to be cut down and members continued to ask for more shade around the pool deck.
  • Replacement of several underwater lights.
  • Repair of the diving board.
  • Repair of the kitchen electrical wiring, to bring us up to Code.
  • Repair of the water fountain.
  • Removal of 3 large, dead trees that threatened the clubhouse and neighboring houses. 
  • Removal of the kudzu (which had started to grow into the clubhouse!).
  • Replacement of the pool vacuum.

Thankfully, we had budgeted to handle these expenses. However, without the new memberships (and their initiation fees) over the last few years, we would not have been able to sustain ourselves financially.

In addition to the burden of our loans, we still have several large expenses we hope to be able to afford in the near future, including addressing the aging deck and replacing the clubhouse carpeting. We continue to budget for future pool maintenance and any unexpected costs.

To cover some of these costs, we hope to have some fundraising activities in the Winter and Spring. If you would like to help with these, please let us know. Our goal is to keep our dues at an affordable level and to make certain HHSTC is truly, the best deal around town! We are currently discussing all of the options for increasing revenue and are open to any and all of your suggestions.

This is the first year since any of us on the Board can remember that we are tracking every penny. In the next month or so, we plan to provide you with a detailed financial report, so you can see exactly where every dollar has gone. We will also be providing you with a detailed summary report of our membership numbers over the last 5 years.

We are so very grateful for all of the volunteer labor and donations that help support our club. Just some of the recent donations include: air conditioning for the clubhouse, replacement of the pump house roof, painting of the clubhouse, leveling and clearing of the back lot, new plastic picnic tables, hanging of the shade sails and a portion of their costs, the website, and several other services that helped sustain us.

We urge you to get involved, ask questions, participate in activities and help us grow so we can continue to be a wonderful investment for your family and your community.  Below is a list of the Board members and their email addresses.  Please ask us how you can help or get involved.

Thanks and we are all looking forward to a wonderful season in 2011!

-Your Volunteer HHSTC Board

Frank Bragen - fbragan@mac.com
Braden Buck (Facilities/Maintenance) - braden@mayfieldhomes.com
Missy DeBerardinis (Tennis) - mdeberardinis@na.ko.com
Cindy Deminsky (Swim Team) - cdeminsky@comcast.net
John Farrell (Tennis) - john.farrell@braves.com
Leslie Freymann (Membership/Communications/Social) - lfreymann@gmail.com
Kerri Henderson (Treasurer) - kerridhenderson@gmail.com
Ann Hickman (Social) - ard1072003@yahoo.com
Ashley Kuehne (Rentals/Social) - kuehnea@comcast.net
Francis Laba (Secretary) - frlaba@yahoo.com
Larry Pope (Vice-President) - Llpope58@yahoo.com
Chris Sears (President/Pool Operations) - chris@searssmithlandscape.com
Kevin Shannon (Sponsorship/Communications) - kevin.shannon@earthlink.net
Ryan Tracy (Grounds) - ryan-tracy@comcast.net








Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Saline Switch?

Hello Members,

The HHSTC Board is currently researching the pros and cons of switching our pool to a saline system. USA Pools (our current pool management company) is offering to make this switch for FREE, if we sign a 2-year contract.

Here are some websites, where you can get all the information you ever wanted about saline pools...

Wikki Answers
EduBook
Doityourself
Pool Captain

What do you think? Have you ever been in a saline pool? Did you love it? Hate it?

If you were on the Board, would you vote for this or not? 

Please, let us know your feedback! You can comment below or email us at huntleyhills@gmail.com

Thanks!

-HHSTC Board

Friday, September 10, 2010

Tennis

Hello Members,

If you are interested in joining a tennis team or becoming part of a new team, please contact Chad Henderson (chadhenderson@wiresource.com or 770.337.6884). Men, women and all levels welcome.

See you on the courts!
-Leslie


Leslie Freymann
Volunteer HHSTC Board Member
Membership Chair, Communications
http://www.hhstc.com

Saturday, August 21, 2010

Labor Day @ HHSTC

Hello Members,

If you are in town for Labor Day Weekend, we hope to see you at the pool! Here's the schedule:

Friday, Sept 3rd: DeKalb County schools are out (teacher furlough day) and we've decided to open the pool from 11 am - 10 pm. Also, as a fund raiser, we are going to open the pool all day to non-members at $5/person or $4, if coming with a member, as a guest. AND we we are having our last Friday night cookout.

Sat, Sept 4th: 10:30 am to 10 pm
Sun, Sept 5th: 11:30 am to 8 pm
Mon, Sept 6th: (Labor Day): 10:30 am to 8pm with a cookout from 12-2

If you can help volunteer to grill for either cookout, please just reply to this email.

Also, save the date: Sat, September 25th - the Huntley Hills Neighborhood Association is having their annual Neighborhood Night Out Party, which is always lots of fun! After the party, we will be having a Black Jack fundraiser in the clubhouse - additional details coming soon.

-HHSTC Board

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Friday Cookout/Change of Pool Hours

The cookout for this Friday (8/6) is on - we'll start grilling around 5:45.

And just a reminder - starting this Friday, the pool hours will change, as follows:

Monday - Friday 3pm - 8pm
Saturday 10:30 am - 8pm
Sunday 11:30am - 8pm

We know the 10pm Friday and Saturday nights have been popular - if you would like to stay past 8pm, you can ask the guards if they will work additional hours. They are not obligated to do so, but they have all said they are open to staying for $15 cash/hour.

We hope to see you at the pool!

-HHSTC Board

Saturday, July 10, 2010

Our Phone Numbers

Hello Members,

Just to clarify, we now have two phone numbers for HHSTC...

(404) 585-0657 - this number simultaneously rings to the cell phones of several Board members. If no one picks up, the voicemail will be transcribed into an email, which will be sent to Board members. Use it for general questions or to report a problem at the pool (ex. pool is not open when it should be, complaints about a lifeguard, injury we should know about, questions about renting the clubhouse, etc).

(770) 457-0993 - this number rings to the land line at the pool, located by the kitchen windows. Call it to talk to someone at the pool, check to see if we are on a thunder break, etc. This is also a phone you can to call 911 from the pool. If you are at the pool and hear the phone ring, please answer it, out of a courtesy to all our members.

Thanks!

-HHSTC Board


New Library/Game Collection

Hello Members,

I am trying to start a new book/magazine swap and game collection at the pool.

So please bring any good books and/or current, popular magazines that you have finished reading and would like to share with other members. Chances are that you won't get your books back, but you just might end up with different books that you have been wanting to read :)

Also, we'd like to have some games available for people to play while at the pool. Good examples would be decks of cards, poker chips, dominos, Taboo, Pictionary, Shoots and Ladders, etc. But please, no games with lots of little pieces.

We plan to keep all of this in the new brown bookcase in the kitchen and perhaps on some of the kitchen shelves. If it gets too crowded/junky, we will have to wean things out and recycle/donate items. If you would like your game returned to you at the end of the season, please write your name/number on the box - but no guarantees :)

Thanks!

-Leslie

Leslie Freymann
Volunteer HHSTC Board Member
Membership Chair, Communications
http://www.hhstc.com



Thursday, July 1, 2010

July 4th - Help Needed

Our July 4th party is almost here!

We need help with 2 things...

We want to have someone at the front table throughout the day, greeting members and collecting guest fees. We can pay $5/hr cash, plus a % of all fees collected. This would be a perfect job for a responsible teenager! Please reply to this email if you can help and/or if you would like to volunteer your 12+ year old child.

We need parents (and other generous members) to please bring in your loose change so we can continue our annual coin dive tradition. It's always a huge hit with the kids! You can give your change to any Board member you see at the pool or you can leave it at the front table on July 4th, assuming someone is there to collect it.

Thanks!

-HHSTC Board






Monday, June 28, 2010

No Friday Night Cookout

Hello Members,

We are not having a cookout this Friday, because we are having one for the 4th of July party and we just don't have enough volunteers to do both. So if you come to the pool this Friday night, it might be a great time to order dinner at the pool from one of our many sponsors: Galla's, Mad Italian, Papa Johns or Pig N' Chik.

Also, we had a potluck dinner planned for Saturday night, but several of our Board members who organize the events and do the clean-up will be out of town - so we have postponed it to Saturday, July 10th (details will be sent next week).

See you at the pool!

-HHSTC Board



Sunday, June 27, 2010

July 4th at HHSTC

Hello Members,

Will you be in town for July 4th? We hope so, because we have a big party planned!  Many of our fun traditions continue and we hope to have all of our new members join us!

We will begin with our Annual July 4th parade, starting at 10 am at the pool. Decorate your bikes, trikes, wagons, big wheels, strollers, etc and show your American pride! Prizes given for the best decorations. Popsicles given to all kids.

The pool opens at 10:30 am and there will be games and activities for kids and adults throughout the day, including watermelon football, coin toss, diving for drinks and much more! We'll also have a jump house and a big water slide. The cookout is from noon - 3 pm ($4/plate).

For a recap of recent July 4th parties, check out our photos:http://www.youtube.com/user/HHSTC
And here are some videos of our past watermelon football games: http://www.youtube.com/user/HHSTC

(As a reminder, guests must pay their fees to the lifeguard or a Board member manning the check-in table. Last year’s July 4th had a very large number of unpaid guests so please respect your membership and others by paying.)

The pool closes at 8 pm and since the Club can't assume liability for fireworks, everyone will have to be on their own for that. But ask around, because we are certain there will be fireworks somewhere in Huntley Hills :)

We hope to see you July 4th!

-HHSTC Board

Ps. We expect to be very crowded, so you may want to bring your own folding chair(s) if you have one, just to ensure a seat for yourself.
Pps. Since July 4th is on a Sunday this year, Chamblee will be doing their parade and fireworks on Sat, the 3rd.  Here are details: http://www.chambleega.com/departments/parks_july42010.aspx  The Dunwoody parade is July 5th.


Tuesday - Swim Team Banquet

Just a heads up - this Tuesday (June 29th) is the swim team banquet/end-of-season party at our pool and in our clubhouse, starting at 6 pm. This means the pool will be VERY crowded and full of kids, starting early Tuesday afternoon. All members are certainly welcome to still come and swim until 8pm, but the dinner is for swim team kids, parents and volunteers.

And if tradition holds true, you can expect the crowds at the pool to start decreasing, as June is always our most crowded month :)

See you at the pool!

-HHSTC Board

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Friday Night Cookouts

Have you noticed how crowded the pool always is during our Friday night cookouts? We are very proud we have been able to continue this popular tradition for many, many years now. It's lots of fun for everyone!

However, it does take a tremendous amount of volunteer time to ensure we have all the supplies, food and drinks necessary and to make certain at least 2 people volunteer to set everything up, cook the food, collect the money, clean-up afterwards, etc.

And we would love the have some help!

Specifically, we need volunteers to help grill. To make the scheduling easier, you can now sign-up online. Just type your name next to the date(s) you can volunteer (and please add your cell number below your name).
Here's the link: http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AsQyIehvdlzkdFFBdmZuWklIUTNpSF9zVm9ham8yY3c&hl=en

This is a GREAT fun way to get involved and meet your neighbors.

If you have any questions, please just reply to this email.

Thanks!

-HHSTC Board


Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Lifeguards

Hello HHSTC Members,

I hope everyone is having a great start to the 2010 summer pool season! Since many have noticed we have 2 new lifeguards at the pool this week, I believe it is important to update you on what has happened.

Based on independent observations by the Guard Manager of USA Pools, they have removed 2 of our lifeguards from the schedule at Huntley Hills.

This decision was after we held an additional guard training meeting to re-review all rules and expectations, AND after receiving numerous additional complaints from several members. 

The Board does not hire or fire guards. We contract with USA Pools and they make all employment and scheduling decisions.  We pay them to handle most facets of the daily operations to ensure we have a very safe and comfortable environment.

The safety of our pool is everyone's highest priority and we take that responsibility very seriously. If you ever feel that one of the lifeguards is not watching the pool and/or acting inappropriately in any way, please let us know. You can reply to this email, contact me at the number below, or just find a Board member at the pool. Once again, we will relay the complaints to USA Pools and they will take any necessary action.

Thanks and we look forward to a continued safe summer at the pool!

Chris Sears
HHSTC President

770-452-1169 office

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Tuesdays @ the pool and Clean-up Summary

Hello Members,

This Tuesday and the remaining Tuesdays in June will all be away swim meets - which means the majority of kids and lots of parents will not be at the pool. So if you want to swim laps, enjoy a quieter night at the pool, etc - these are great afternoons/evenings to come.

And thanks to everyone who showed up to help clean Sunday morning! We cleaned out 2 closets, 2 cabinets, painted a bookcase and cleaned the kitchen floor. We also created a huge pile of "stuff" that we hope to sell on Craig's List and filled several huge trash bags full of junk. We still have the concession stand, bathrooms, attic and kitchen floor painting left on the "to do" list - we'll schedule another workday soon...stay tuned :)

Thanks!

-HHSTC Board


Saturday, June 12, 2010

Sunday Clean-Up

Hello Members,

This Sunday (tomorrow, June 13th) starting at 10:00 am and continuing all day, we are going to be doing a massive clean-up of our clubhouse and grounds.

Here's a list of some of the items we hope to accomplish:

  • Removal of all the unnecessary junk in the attic.  
  • Clearing out of at least 4 closets full of junk, etc.
  • Cleaning kitchen floor.
  • Cleaning bathrooms.
  • Cleaning concessions stand.
If we have enough volunteers throughout the day, we may get ambitious and try to remove the rubber mats in the bathrooms and power wash the floors. We would also like to paint the kitchen floor and perhaps some other items around the clubhouse.

Sorry for the short notice - we hope you can make it!

Thanks!

-HHSTC Board

ps. Please bring any brooms, mops, buckets, sponges, bleach, cleaning supplies, etc you may have that would help. Also, we'll need dusk masks and flashlights for the attic :)

Friday, June 11, 2010

Kudzu and Weekend Events

FYI - This morning (Friday) we will be working on round 2 of our Kill the Kudzu campaign. Just wanted to give everyone a heads up to please avoid the back lots and the back fence corner on Plantation until Saturday. Thanks!

Also, don't forget - we have lots going on this weekend...

Friday night - cookout.
Sat morning - pancake breakfast fundraiser (correction: it ends at 10:30, not 11:30 as stated in previous email).
Sat afternoon - World Cup soccer game at HHSTC! It's now open to non-club members at $5/person.
Sat evening - kids movie night in the clubhouse.

Check our blog for more details:
http://hhstc.blogspot.com/

See you at the pool!

-HHSTC Board

Pool Reminders

Hello Members,

Our summer has been off to a great start! Below are just some quick reminders to help all of us continue to keep things running smoothly...

  • Please sign-in at the front table, as you enter the pool. We lost lots of money and even some potential memberships last year, because people (and teens, especially) used the pool all summer without paying guest fees. The sign-in book is a step at preventing that from happening again.
  • Kids under 10 must come to the pool with an adult. And if your 10 year old+ child comes unattended, please make certain you send them with enough sunscreen, food and drinks for the day.
  • The clubhouse is to remain locked during the day, as we have had numerous problems with kids leaving food, trash, wet towels, etc.
  • The kitchen (including the refrigerator/freezer, stove, and microwave) are for use by all adult members. Please, no kids allowed in the kitchen. 
  • Items left unattended for too long in the refrigerator are at risk of being thrown out and/or taken by someone.
  • We often store our Friday cookout food/drinks/ice in the kitchen refrigerator and on the shelves - please be respectful of this and do not take anything.
  • We are recycling cans and bottles only in the 2 red square recycling containers.
  • Please periodically check the lost and found by the women's bathroom. When it gets too full, we donate items that have been around for more than a week.
  • Please remind your children to be respectful of the private parties/dinners members host at the pool and that a table full of food and a cooler full of drinks are not "free" for the taking. 
  • If you bring a guest, please pay the guard $4 or have them punch your guest card.
And last, but certainly not least, we just want to friendly remind everyone that our Board is 100% volunteer and we have collectively spent hundreds of hours of volunteer time and have donated thousands of dollars in goods and services to help ensure we have clean, safe, well-run facilities, fun events, and a well managed bank account.

We do it because we love our community and we love our pool and tennis courts. We also know that without volunteers, there would be no Huntley Hills Swim and Tennis Club. If you would like to help us, in any way, please just reply to this email.

Thanks and we are looking forward to a continued great summer!

-HHSTC Board

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Weekend Events!

Hello Members,

Are you going to be in town this weekend? We hope so, because we have several fun events planned!

As always, we are having our Friday night cookout ($4/plate for burger, veggie burger or hotdog, plus drinks and chips). You can pay cash at the table or buy a pre-paid punch card, good for cookouts and/or guest fees (the cost is $36 for 10 punches, so you get one free!). Here's the link: http://www.hhstc.com/Store.html

Our Hammerhead swim team is having a Saturday pancake breakfast fundraiser at the Masonic Lodge in Chamblee Plaza from 8am to 11:30am. The food is great and the place will be filled with friends and neighbors - don't miss it! The cost is $5/plate and 100% of the profits go towards helping support the swim team.

We are also pleased to announce a new addition to the calendar - Saturday at 1:30 - World Cup Soccer at HHSTC! We will have the big screen setup in the clubhouse for viewing the USA vs. England game. Some drinks and snacks will be provided; feel free to BYOB and/or a snack to share. And bring your friends!

Then, after the game, we will be having Saturday Kids Movie Night in the clubhouse. The movie is TBD, as is the start time (it depends on the soccer game end time) - we hope to start around 6 pm. Bring your own blanket, pillow and movie snacks.

Whether you are with us or not, we hope you have a great weekend!

-HHSTC Board



Saturday, May 29, 2010

New Phone Number, Facebook, Blog and Mayorship

Hello Members,

HHSTC has a new phone number: (404) 585-0657. 
Please add it to the contacts in your cell phone.

This number will simultaneously ring to the cell phones of several Board members. If no one picks up, the voicemail will be transcribed into an email, which will be sent to Board members. Use it for general questions or to report a problem at the pool.

We also now have a Facebook group:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=127358631362&ref=ts

If the link doesn't work for you, just search in Facebook for HHSTC. As I write this, we only have 28 members - I know we can do better than that! So please join and we can use it to share info and discuss all things HHSTC.

And don't forget about our Blog, where I post all previous HHSTC emails: http://hhstc.blogspot.com/

Finally, who wants to be Mayor of HHSTC?!? The Four Square competition has already started! Don't know what I'm talking about? Google Four Square and join the fun!


See you at the pool,

-Leslie

Leslie Freymann
Volunteer HHSTC Board Member
Membership Chair, Website, Communications
  

Thursday, May 27, 2010

Open House Friday - Details

Our Open House is this Friday from 5 pm - 10 pm.  This is the one time of year we are open to everyone and get to show people how proud we are of our club!

We are having our usual Friday night cookout, but we are also asking members to please bring a pot-luck dish to share. We'll be selling meals for $4/plate and if you bring a dish, you'll get a ticket (or two or three depending on what you bring) for a free meal.

We'll need volunteers to help with all sorts of things - so if you plan to be there and can help, please just reply to this email and we'll assign you an easy and fun job.

Thanks and we hope to see you Friday!

-HHSTC Board

ps. You may want to bring your own folding chair(s) just to ensure yourself a place to sit, in case we are really full with guests.


Monday, May 24, 2010

Guest Fees, Friday Night Cookouts and Punch Cards

Good news! We’ve lowered the guest fee from $5 to $4. However, we’ve raised the price of the Friday night cookout meal from $3 to $4. But, we also plan to offer veggie burgers and on most nights, pizza – as alternatives to hotdogs or hamburgers.

We are now selling pre-paid punch cards that can be redeemed for meals and/or guest fees. They cost $36 and are good for 10 punches – so you get one free! You can buy them at our online store:
 http://www.hhstc.com/Store.html  <http://www.hhstc.com/Store.html > (if you see the old prices, please refresh your browser).

Please remember, all guests must be signed in and pay the fee (you can pay the guard directly or have them use your punch card). Children 3 and under are free.

Also, just a reminder, children under 10 must come to the pool with an adult.

Thanks!

-HHSTC Board 

Swim Meet Tuesday!

Hello Members,

Please join us for the Hammerheads first meet on Tuesday, May 25 @ 5pm. Come cheer for our team and plan eat dinner with us. We will have a full concessions stand open and all proceeds go right back into the Club.

Hamburgers, Cheese Burgers, Hot Dogs, Loaded Baked Potatoes, Pasta Salad, Baked Ziti, Nachos, etc. All at reasonable prices!!

Save room for dessert. The Frosty Caboose is our official after meet ice cream sponsor. Part of the proceeds that night will go towards sponsoring the team. The next time you visit the Frosty Caboose thank them for sponsoring the Huntley Hills Hammerheads.

See ya Soon,

John Jewett / Swim Team Dad

GO HAMMERHEADS!!!

ps. Just a reminder - the pool closes to swimmers at 3 pm so we can get ready for the meet.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Opening Day, Schedule of Events and Membership Tags

Hello Members,

Just a reminder - the pool opens for everyone this Saturday at 10:30 am!

We are having a pre-opening party for Board members and New members this Friday - unless you fall into one of those categories - please make sure you tell your kids that Saturday is officially opening day.

Tuesday, the 25th is our first home swim meet - please plan to come and cheer for our Hammerheads and buy dinner at the pool. It's always a fun time!

Friday, the 28th is our 1st Friday night cookout AND our Open House. We have advertised this to the entire neighborhood and surrounding neighborhoods. If the weather is nice, we expect to be very crowded. This will be our chance to talk with potential new members and show everyone how proud we are of our club - we hope you can make it!

Monday, the 31st is our Memorial Day party! We open at 10:30 am and will be having a cookout from 12-3.

For more events, check our calendar: http://www.hhstc.com/Calendar.html

Your new membership tags will be available at the pool. This year we are going to implement a sign-in process at the front gate - all members and guests will be required to sign in on every visit. Also, we have lowered the guest fee from $5 to $4 dollars and will be selling pre-paid punch cards - details coming soon...

That's all for now...see you at the pool!

-HHSTC Board







Friday, May 14, 2010

Friday Party and Sunday Workday Reminder

Just a reminder, tonight (Friday, the 14th) is Mike Blake's birthday party/ALS fundraiser at the HHSTC clubhouse. Details below - hope you can make it!

Also, this Sunday from 12-4 pm is another work day (details below).

These workdays can actually be a lot of fun and great way to get to know your neighbors. If there is enough of a crowd, we'll go out for dinner/drinks afterwards. While the work is hard - it's good exercise and you'll feel a great sense of accomplishment - this Sunday we will be saving our tennis courts from further erosion - one of the most important things we'll do all year!

We hope to see you there!

Thanks,

HHSTC Board

Thursday, May 6, 2010

May 14th - Party at HHSTC

Hello Members,

You are invited to a party at our clubhouse on May 14th at 8pm! Mike Blake, HHSTC member and HARVEYNATION band member, is celebrating his birthday by having HARVEYNATION play a live benefit concert for ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). They are requesting donations for the ALS Foundation and/or the Atlanta Food Bank.

It should be a fun time - the more the merrier! But please do rsvp, so they can plan for the appropriate crowd.

Here's the evite: http://www.evite.com/app/publicUrl/LDPPSBXREKRMYWDZEPYL/mikeblake

And here's a link to HARVEYNATION: http://www.harveynation.com <http://www.harveynation.com/> . You can also find the band on Facebook.

We hope to see you there!

-HHSTC Board

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Tennis

The combination lock for the tennis gate is XXXX (email us if you didn't get this email and/or need the code). The courts are for members only; please do not share the code with anyone else. You can reserve the courts up to 1 week in advance, by signing up at the bulliten board by the front tennis gate. Hopefully soon, we will have an online reservation system setup.

And as a friendly reminder: the courts are also for tennis only; no dogs, bikes, scooters, skates, skateboards, etc are allowed. And no unsupervised children.

Thanks!

-HHSTC Board

Work Day - May 16th

We are having another workday on Sunday, May 16th, from 12 - 4 pm and we need all the help we can get!

As you may know, we have a drainage problem around our tennis courts - and this is what has been causing the cracks in the courts. We have to get it fixed!

So for this workday, we will be doing lots of digging and hauling of rocks, as we create french drains, etc to help divert the water.

Please plan to attend, especially if you have been unable to make any of the previous workdays. Our club can't operate without workday volunteers - it's critical to keeping our costs low and our grounds/facilites maintained and looking good.

We hope to see on May 16th - please bring your shovels and wheelbarrows!

Thanks,

HHSTC Board

2010 Pool Hours and Calendar of Events

Have you been by the pool lately? It's looking great and the swim team has already started practicing. Opening day is less than 3 weeks away!

Based on feedback we received last year, we have made some changes to the pool hours. This year we will stay open until 10 pm on Saturdays (it was 8 pm) and will not open until 11:30 am on Sundays (it was 10:30 am). Everything else is the same. You can view the details online:
http://www.hhstc.com/Hours.html (be sure to refresh your browser if you see 2009 hours)

We have LOTS of great social activities planned for this summer!

Save these dates:

May 21st - Pre-opening Party/Cookout for Board members, new members and past Presidents
May 22nd - Opening Day
May 24 - Memorial Day Party
May 25 - Home Swim Meet
May 28th - Open House
May 29th - Pot Luck Dinner Party
June 3rd - Swim-a-Thon/Party
June 8th - Home Swim Meet
June 12th - Pancake Breakfast/Kids Movie Night
June 19th - Fundraiser Dinner Party/Live Band

And don't forget - cookouts every Friday night! There are many more events on our calendar:
http://www.hhstc.com/Calendar.html

Also, we are having another workday on Sunday, May 16th from 12-4 (details to follow in another email).

See you soon!

-HHSTC Board

ps. If you have not renewed, please do so asap. Thanks!

Thursday, April 15, 2010

Work Day and Membership Dues

Hello Members,

Just a reminder that we are having work days this weekend (Sat from 9-1 and Sun from 12-4). In addition to the projects below, we now have a gigantic pile of wood chips that needs spreading, so please bring your shovels and wheelbarrows. And don't forget your work gloves.

We hope you can make it!

Also, if you have already paid your dues - thanks!!! If you haven't, please remember they are due by April 30th and there is a $50 late fee.

We are still hoping to build a new deck before opening day, but it all depends on our membership numbers and cash flow. Related to that, in an on-going effort to make the most of our money, we would prefer that those of you who haven't yet paid your dues please mail us a check, as opposed to paying online. We are paying a lot in PayPal fees and the money we save could be put to much better use. If you want to pay with a credit card, that is still an option - we'd just prefer a mailed check.

Here is the renewal info: http://www.hhstc.com/Membership.html

Thanks!

-HHSTC Board

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: HHSTC <huntleyhills@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Apr 11, 2010 at 9:46 PM
Subject: Workday - We Need Your Help!
To: HHSTC <huntleyhills@gmail.com>


Hello Members,

We have another workday scheduled for next weekend (April 17th and 18th) and we need help!

We'll be meeting Sat (the 17th) from 9 am to 1 pm and Sun (the 18th) from 12 pm to 4 pm.

Here are just some of the things we need to accomplish:

Weeding/planting of the front flower beds.
Painting 3 picnic tables.
Cleaning the clubhouse, guard room, etc.
Cleaning the bathrooms.

We are completely dependent on volunteer help in order to get us ready for opening day. If you are in town, please plan to have at least one member of your household show up to help for a couple of hours. Thanks!

-HHSTC Board

ps. Only 6 weeks left until opening day!




Sunday, March 14, 2010

Save the Date, Membership Renewal, Important Updates

Hello Members,

Has it been a long winter or what!?! Summer can't come soon enough! We hope you are getting excited about the pool opening - it's less than 10 weeks away!

Here are some important dates you need to know and put on your calendar:

Sat, March 20th - Work Day (9 am to 5 pm) All day?!? Yes!

*** We have LOTS to get done and we need everyone's help! Please try to come for at least a 3-hour period. 9 - 5 is so that everyone can try and squeeze in some much appreciated help - from bathroom cleaning, to moving rip/rap to the creek bank, to construction repairs).

Sun, April 18th - Swim Team Sign-ups (3-5 pm in the clubhouse)
Sat, April 24th - Work Day (9 am to 5 pm - again!)
Mon, May 3rd - Swim Team practice starts
Sat, May 22th - Pool Opens for Everyone!

And here's the most important date: APRIL 30TH - DUES ARE DUE!

We are pleased to announce that for the 4th year in a row, dues remain unchanged. However, for the second year in a row, there will be a $50 late fee.

Family: $450
Couple: $400
Single: $350

You can pay online now <http://www.hhstc.com/MembershipRenew.html>  or mail a check to: HHSTC, PO Box 80141, Chamblee, GA 30366.

Other important news/updates:

  • We elected our new 2010 Board of Directors and Officers <http://www.hhstc.com/Board.html> . We also welcomed new Board Member Ann Hickman, who will serve on the Social Committee. And we want to send a BIG THANK YOU to Spencer Scarborough, for all the many years and countless hours he put into the Club. 
  • The baby pool will be resurfaced in early May.
  • We had to remove some dead/hazardous trees over the winter and fix 2 fences (costs we had not expected to incur).
  • Winter was hard on the parking lot and the creek bank, but we are hoping to do some low-cost repairs/improvements to them during the work days.
  • We are planning for major bathroom cleanings, along with some minor cosmetic improvements (also to be done during work days).
  • We made a very large pre-payment towards our outstanding loan balance, getting us almost 2.5 years closer to the pay-off date.
  • We have upgraded our financial software, along with our budget categories and are hoping to be able to provide detailed financial reports to the membership in the near future. 
  • We are hoping to build a new deck before the pool opens, but it is all contingent on cash flow and membership numbers - so please pay your dues on time! 
  • Unless we have a large number of new members (and their initiation fees) we believe the clubhouse flooring will have to wait another year. 
  • We have signed a contract with a different pool management company - USA Pools <http://www.usapools.com/> . They offered a very competitive price and we are excited about working with them. 
  • Our Guard Manager from last year, Nick Sharda will be returning again this summer, under the new company - which is great news for us! 
  • We decided not to cap membership this year, but if our growth trends continue, we will probably be looking at a wait list in 2011.
That's all for now. We hope to see you next Saturday at our first work day!

-HHSTC Board

ps. If you have any questions/comments, you can just reply to this email.

Tuesday, February 23, 2010

Our 2010 Board has been elected!


President
Chris Sears 

Vice President
Larry Pope

Treasurer
Kerri Henderson

Secretary
Francis Laba
 
Committee Chairpersons
Communications - Leslie Freymann, Kevin Shannon
Grounds - Ryan Tracy
Facilities/Maintenance - Braden Buck
Finances/Reporting - Larry Pope, Kerri Henderson
Membership - Leslie Freymann
Pool Operations - Chris Sears
Rentals - Ashley Kuehne, Francis Laba
Sponsorship - Cindy Deminsky, Frank Bragan, Kevin Shannon
Swim Team - Cindy Deminsky, Frank Bragan
Social -  Ashley Kuehne, Leslie Freymann, Cindy Deminsky
Tennis - Missy DeBeradinis, John Ferrell
Website - Leslie Freymann

Friday, January 22, 2010

Annual Meeting and Voting for New Board

Hello Members,

Is the slightly warmer weather getting you in the mood for the summer? It's right around the corner! 

The cold, winter days have not stopped your Board from preparing for another fantastic year at the pool. Come hear all about the plans we have for 2010! Our Annual Membership meeting is Sunday, January 31st at 5 pm in the clubhouse. This is your chance to meet the Board and have all of your questions answered. 

For more details, attached is a letter from our President, Spencer Scarborough. You should be receiving a hard copy in your mailbox shortly. 

The main purpose of the annual meeting is to officially elect our new Board. You can vote in the new Board by coming to the meeting or voting online at:

Thanks and we hope to see you on January 31st!   

-HHSTC Board