MAY 26th

Greetings FBC Members-

I am writing to you with great excitement for the upcoming 2022 FBC season! As of late, there have been several email communications from the club related to tennis activities, Opening Tea and other club events. Below is an update related to recent Council activity.

Let’s go….

Financials/Budget

The 2022/2023 operating budget was presented at the council meeting in March. The 2022 season presents some challenges in the form of inflation, an increase in CT’s minimum wage, and the general overall increase in cost to maintain our beautiful club each year; as I am sure we are all experiencing at home as well. To counteract those difficult dynamics, the Council voted to approve an increase in annual dues of 3.5% across all membership categories along with an operating budget that looks to keep 2022 expenses and capital projects lean.

Admissions Committee - New Members

During the March meeting, the Council approved the slate of candidates brought forth by the Admissions Committee. Please join me in welcoming the following new members: (alphabetical order - **denotes legacy applicant)

Craig & Meghan Andrzejewski** (Kelly)

Bruce & Carolyn Audino

Glenn Carr**

Robert & Lauren Daly** (Sexton)

Peter & Ali Dinardo

Jimmy & Carter Finneran** (Hibbs)

Brennan & Jen Keating

Mike & Sarah Matarese

Russel & Kelly Mink** (Gumper)

Bill & Julie Price

Thank you to Peggy Mahder and Tom Dolan for their three years of service on the Admissions Committee and welcome to new committee members Chrysty Cichella and Annie Stebbins.

Snack Bar

As we move into the third year with our current snack bar vendor, I would like to take this opportunity to underscore the importance of adequately supporting them. Make no mistake, running a food service at FBC is not an easy job for any vendor and it is imperative that we work as a club to help ensure their success. Much has been learned over the past two years on how Gerard and Glenn can continue to improve upon the service and food they provide and we look forward to rolling out exciting changes in the near future.

A few key updates to be aware of and some new initiatives:

FBC’s snack bar minimums are and have been very low relative to other area clubs. As such, the minimum has been raised by $100 across all membership categories.
The snack bar will be providing food for Men’s Interclub tennis teams on Wednesday evenings following the matches. Any member will have the option to sign up for this pre-planned catered event. (taco bar, grill night, etc) More details on pricing and sign-up options to come.
Cooking and grilling at one’s canopy is a wonderful tradition at FBC. That said, if you’re looking for a night off, consider working with Glenn for a fully catered experience delivered right to your canopy or set-up. The reviews from members that have done this have been outstanding. If many of us added this to our hosting rotation at least once per summer it would go a long way to helping ensure the success of the snack bar. (counts towards snack bar minimum)
The Entertainment Committee is working with the snack bar for many of their planned events and band nights. Breakfast at Wimbledon with tennis on the big screen in the main room was a huge success last year and will be back again on Sunday, July 10th. Please sign up for events via the FBC website’s calendar.

Canopies

Canopy reservations are once again in full-swing as we head towards opening weekend. As mentioned in my letter this time last year this is still a hot topic. I have had several 1:1 conversations with concerned members and regular canopy users over the general lack of availability. We will always have challenges related to this due to the number of members vs number of canopies but please do your best to spread out your reservations and consider reserving one canopy instead of two when socializing as a group. Please note that the Council approved a proposal at last month’s meeting to increase the fee for a “no show” from $25 to $50. These fees have been and will continue to be enforced.

Junior Clubhouse

The JC is back! You talked and we listened! I am pleased to say that the JC will once again be available for our kids (and adults) to enjoy ping-pong and have a place to socialize and hang out. To be blunt, this area has also been the source of problems in the past due to unruly behavior. Please be sure your kids know the importance of respecting the equipment and property in the JC.

Remembering our FBC Family

We will be missing some familiar faces this summer. We send our condolences to the families of Ed Rickard, James Goodenough, Randy and Cynnie Goldrick, Diane Warren and Kelly Barrett.

As a club, we would like to be supportive of our families who have gone through a difficult time, so we ask that if you are comfortable doing so, please make the Club Secretary aware of the passing of one of our members.

Lastly, many thanks to RJ and his staff for doing a great job managing and maintaining our club, especially the long hours put in to get everything ready for our opening weekend.

I hope all of you have been well over the winter months whether on the paddle court, ski slopes or some other warmer climate. See you at the Opening Tea and have a great summer!

Best,

Tom Barnouw