Fall 2018 TBA Newsletter
Presidents Message
It is truly incredible how fast a year goes. When looking at the past year and what your Executive team was able to accomplish in a few short months, I am amazed. The main objective being, how can we continue our traditions, create new ones to increase participation of the generations to come and finally to create memories that make us all smile. I believe we not only accomplished those objectives, but we started to look to the future and look at building infrastructure, development of a succession plan, and increasing participation in all events. You will see in different updates I have covered all these topics.
I want to thank the TBA Executives that have volunteered for this upcoming year. The 2018/2019 TBA Executive was introduced at the August AGM and it is my pleasure to work with most of the team again but also welcome some new Executive members – Melissa Mihaichuk - Social Director (see 2018/2019 Executive Slate voted on at August 2018 AGM). We had some people leave the Executive this year – Louise O’Connor, Melissa Gage – thank you for your hard work and dedication to the TBA.
The TBA is always in need of volunteers and this year we are looking for a Sponsorship Director and Tennis Director. These are important roles for the TBA … if you have any interest please get in touch with me.
TBA Executive is still very focused on increasing membership and being financially healthy (which you will see in the Treasurer’s report). I mentioned at the August AGM that we have reports and data on membership. One of the advantages of “on line registration” is we can pull reports and analyze the data to see how we are doing in the different membership categories. We seem to be growing in the “Couple’s Full Season Membership with no children” category. Question is… where are the children? Where is the new generation? Remember if your grandchildren or children are 25 years of age or older they should be getting their own membership.
TBA Executive team is working hard to get it right and we realize that we can do some things better – for example the roster. We promise to make the FONT BIGGER AND BETTER FOR THE UPCOMING ROSTER 2018/2019 and THE CALENDARS.
Any member of the TBA Executive would love to hear from you if you have any questions or suggestions. Keep warm and safe over the winter months.
All the best.
Matthew DuCharme
TBA President
Treasurer's Report
Another fantastic summer at Thunder Beach!
We expect to end the 2018 year with net income from operations of $15,000. The social events were a great success and both events were profitable. Our total profit from social events this year was $7,000.
The children’s camp was also profitable. We earned $5,000 from the children’s camp.
We continue to track the amount of money we earn from our tennis memberships for future planning purposes. During 2018, we earned $9,000 from tennis memberships.
Advertising funds continue to be an excellent source of revenue and we strongly encourage you to support our sponsors. Harbourview Property Management continues to perform regular maintenance duties under our maintenance contract.
In addition to our regular operations, we raised $60,000 in donations for the clubhouse renovation, including a $5,000 donation from the Thunder Beach Association. To date, $7,000 has been spent on clubhouse renovations.
The year end for the Thunder Beach Association is December 31, 2018.
Annual financial statements will be available for distribution at the 2019 Annual General Meeting in August.
Corey MacGregor
Treasurer
Clubhouse Renovation Update
Thank you again to for your generous donations to the Clubhouse Renovation Fund. We had over 100 individuals or families contribute to the fund. The TBA Executive want you to know that the money is safe and secure and will only be used for the Clubhouse Renovation.
There is still an opportunity to donate to the Clubhouse Renovation Fund – please send an email to TBA Treasury tba.treasury@gmail.com letting us know that you wish to make a donation and we will reply back to you with instructions on how to make that donation.
You may be thinking the building committee cannot make a decision. If anyone has been through a Renovation this size you will know that it takes time to gather the information, understand the options, get quotes, get agreement to proceed and schedule a construction firm to perform the work. You will also understand that as the old saying goes…”Everyone has an opinion”.
At the August AGM we thought we had a solid plan (vinyl siding and flooring) but we heard our members at the AGM. Some members called the building committee after the AGM to offer some advice on different solutions and products. Some concerned members through conversations and emails have expressed that the Clubhouse is a focal point of Thunder Beach and perhaps vinyl product would not be suitable. We want to make the right decision.
Options we are considering:
-
Vinyl / aluminum siding and we are ready to make a deal and start the work and this could be done before 2019 summer. Also looking at new flooring in the clubhouse and cupboards for the inside of the clubhouse at the front. This was discussed at the August AGM.
-
Keep existing wood siding and just replace the wood siding that is rotten (first three boards) and repaint (some sandblasting in areas would be required). Still working on quotes. The timeframe is probably after summer 2019.
-
Install the best wood siding – Maibec or similar. Working on quotes. We anticipate that this option will require additional funds. More fundraising will be required.
Renovation project may not happen until after the 2019 summer … already we have heard the reputable construction companies are booked solid.
The TBA Executive and building committee want to make the right decision and we don’t want rush a decision due to making a timeframe. The Clubhouse (if required) will last another summer season with the day to day maintenance it receives from our property management team Harbourview.
Any questions please email or call me directly – matthew.ducharme@ipc.com cell 647-669-2475.
Matthew DuCharme and the building committee
TBA President
Social Report
I am extremely excited to be the new Thunder Beach Social Director! Having grown up spending my summers at the beach, attending and then working at the Thunder Beach Children’s Camp, or “Play School” as we used to call it, I am looking forward to again being involved with The Association in this new role.
Fresh off from planning and organizing my own wedding at Thunder Beach this past September, I am excited to bring some new ideas to the beach events, along with relying on the past hard work and ideas implemented by Geoff MacGregor and those involved with the great success that is Lobsterfest, Beth and Geoff Smith, and those cooking behind the scenes Doug Jones, Cam Robertson and Myron Wolfe.
I have already begun some “market research” on ideas for the August 2019 Event Night. This has included, brainstorming sessions around the cottage family dinner table on summer weekends and polling my friends while enjoying some time on the beach. The input has been amazing and the creative planning is already underway! I hope you are all as excited as I am for the 2019 Cottage Season and I look forward to seeing you at Lobsterfest and August Event Night!
Sincerely,
Melissa McGuire
Social Director
Children's Program
Absolutely fabulous comes to mind when I think about the weather this summer! The sun and heat just kept coming which provided for many more days of outdoor activities. With temperatures reaching 33c campers kept hydrated and freezes were in high demand.
The new climber was a big hit for the younger campers and let's not forget about the new benches where parents/grandparents can now sit down and rest those feet.
A big shout out to all the counsellors and CITs for another successful camp season! We are sorry to see Jenna Johnston leave, she did an amazing job has a Co-Head Counsellor, we will miss her smile and enthusiasm. Robbie Butler will remain on as the Head Counsellor for 2019. I look forward to working with him again next summer.
As the new Camp Director it can be a little overwhelming, but with Melissa Gage at my side this past year showing me the way, it made things a lot easier. I really can’t thank her enough for all her hard work and dedication in making this transition a smooth one.
We welcome ongoing feedback in order to help us reflect and make necessary changes and improvements to the camp. Please feel free to contact me at crudics@rogers.com for any questions or concerns.
ATTENTION ALL COUNSELLORS!!
We are looking for an Assistant Head Counsellor! This is a New Exciting Position! You will be shadowing Robbie Butler in his day to day duties. The goal here is to get more hands-on experience, so the transition to become a HC will be more polished. Applicants applying will go through a phone interview only. The position will also require you to be available in July and August. If you are interested please send me a cover letter explaining why you would be a good candidate for this position along with your CV to Christine Lundy at crudics@rogers.com. The deadline for all applicants is December 1st at midnight. Late responses will not be accepted.
CALLING ALL APPLICANTS!
Once again application time has arrived. Applications for Counsellor and CIT positions for the summer of 2019 are now available at the links below:
The official deadline for submissions is Friday, February 1, 2019. Please note that late applications (those received after midnight on Saturday, February 2, 2019) will not be accepted. All applications will be done online through the linked Google forms above. If you have any questions regarding the application process, please refer to the Thunder Beach website or contact Christine Lundy at crudics@rogers.com
Christine Lundy
Tennis Report
Life is Always Better When I’m Playing Tennis
Tennis season for 2018 has come and gone at Thunder Beach. Some of you have already packed the tennis racquets and headed south to the Hard Tru / Clay court season and some have moved indoors under the bubbles.
The TBA is looking for a Tennis Director (or maybe a few volunteers), someone who can bring new ideas and to shake things up at the courts. We had some tennis members express to us that “Tennis at the beach was getting a little stale” (same people in tournaments, where are the younger players?). Personally I didn’t think the courts were used as much as previous years but I was reminded – it was a hot summer.
It would be really nice to see some new members and perhaps spread the word to other people from other beaches … the tennis courts are not exclusive to Thunder Beach residents. As long as you pay to be a TBA member and tennis member we don’t care where you live or address of your cottage.
TBA Executive is still looking at the issue of “cracks” in the tennis courts.
Please remember you must be both a TBA member and a tennis member to play on the courts – TBA memberships and tennis memberships can be purchased from the TBA website. Tennis tags will be used again for the 2019 Tennis season.
We would also appreciate your ideas, thoughts and feedback for this upcoming season matthew.ducharme@ipc.com - It is important that we hear from you.
See you on the courts.
Matthew DuCharme
Tennis Director
Maintenance Report
TBA Executive is in talks and negotiations with Harbourview Property Management to renew the 3 year contract. We will keep you updated on our progress. http://www.harbourviewpm.com
Just a reminder that maintenance covers the following areas;
-
Clubhouse and washrooms
-
Garbage bins, Playground area
-
TBA field, Baseball diamond
-
Tennis courts
-
install and removal of buoys
-
clean up after the TBA parties
-
helping and on call for Children’s program and Head Counselors
Rental of the Clubhouse
TBA Executive would like to remind the membership of the following:
-
Clubhouse CANNOT be rented in the months of July and August. We have a couple of exceptions for memorials or daytime use limited to certain hours
-
Clubhouse Rental fees are different for members vs non-members. TBA contract needs to be signed. We encourage everyone and all families to be TBA members – check the website https://thunderbeach.org/
-
Due to clubhouse renovations we do not have any dates left for Rentals for months of May, June. September or October is available for rental.
-
Interested parties can contact - Matthew DuCharme matthew.ducharme@ipc.com cell (647)669-2475
Traffic and Parking
A liaison was developed with Steve Harvey, Chief Municipal Law Enforcement Officer, Tiny Township. As a result, all the signage on our beach roads was evaluated.
New 40 Km speed signs were positioned on Green Point Road, and new stop signs were placed at the corner of East Beach Rd and County Rd 6 and at the corner of Centre Beach Rd and County Rd 6. These changes were all made to increase the safety of the drivers and pedestrians on our roads.
A radar wagon was placed at two locations on Green Point Rd. In late June. However,
data was probably skewed as it was discovered that there was no signage to indicate speed. Once the signs had been placed, data was collected again during last week of August.
Analysis of that data will be available at a later date.
Pedestrians are reminded to walk on the left side of the road, facing the traffic.
A liaison was also developed with Constable David Hobson, Ontario Provincial Police, Community Services Officer. Constable Hobson took the time to retrieve the calls for service in our area for this year and indicated that we are in a very, very, good area with very few calls for service, mostly false alarms or very minor thefts (a sign) or family-related matters. He also stated that if we have any concerns, especially regarding speeding, that we take the time to call the OPP. The number is located in the TB Roster.
Susan Inwood
FOTTSA /Water Testing Update
On behalf of the Thunder Beach community, the Executive would like to thank Linda Rudics for all her hard work on the organization of the testing of the water at Thunder Beach for the past 17 years! Every second year, Linda and her team of volunteers collected specimens of water from various locations on West Shore, Centre Beach and Silverbirch Beach every week, all summer. Linda then transported the samples and lots of paperwork to the Township offices. From here the samples are taken to the provincial offices for testing.
Thank you, Linda, for your contributions to our community!
Susan Inwood is now coordinating and collecting samples along with other volunteers: Sara Lankshire, Barb Trubic, David Macdonald, Alex Martin Philpott, and Jane Martin. Overall, we have wonderful clean water here at Thunder Beach!
The results will now be available each week during the summer in a variety of formats: on the announcement board at The Friendly Corner Store; on the Thunder Beach Association website; and on the FOTSA website, Tiny Township website, and the Simcoe County website.
Susan Inwood
Farmer's Market
Five years ago Marcee Ruby and I, Beth Hardcastle, launched the Thunder Beach General farmer’s market. Our mission was to bring together the local community of producers to our beach community with the hopes of supporting each other.
We are happy to announce that Victoria Evans has agreed to keep our vision and add her energy by heading up the market.
Having grown up in Thunder Beach, I am beyond excited to be following in the footsteps of both Beth and Marcee, in supporting their vision for the farmers market and continuing to grow the roots they have planted summer after summer.
For the past two years I have been working with Ciboulette et Cie both in Midland and Honey harbor locations. This experience has introduced me to a number of great local businesses and individuals, giving me priceless insight into the value that comes with supporting our local community! I hope to continue building relationships between small batch vendors and Thunder Beacher’s with a particular focus on zero-waste and sustainability. Buying directly from the source allows for us to skip the packaging, bringing our own reusable bags and containers ultimately giving us greater control over our environmental impact. Surrounded by the beauty of Thunder Beach this focus should continue to beat at the heart of our community.
With an emphasis on fresh produce, prepared meals and creative artisans I also hope to reach out to our members and hear about what our community wants to see more of!
Whether it’s local artists new cuisines or sustainable products.
I have some very exciting ideas in store for the Market and I look forward to sharing another wonderful season with all of you.
See you all at the market,
Victoria Evans
© 2024 Thunder Beach Association . POS and Ecommerce by Shopify
