President’s Report: July 2023
Dear Members,
I hope that you are all enjoying your summer. The massive rebuilding of the Yacht Club continues every day and I am pleased to say that we can see light at the end of the tunnel! Thanks to an incredible effort from our management and employees we were able to reopen on April 1st as we continued to repair and replace virtually every item at the club.
The following projects still need to be completed:
- The siding on our barns and the clubhouse is ongoing and is expected to be completed within the next 6 weeks. The final load of metal is expected to arrive this week. Much of it will be processed on site.
- The bid from Guardian has been approved by the Board to install our new fuel tank. They have filled the abandoned tanks with concrete and now will build a bunker to encase the new tank. This is a lengthy process, but we will provide a timeframe as soon as they give us a schedule.
- The entire fire suppression system was destroyed by the hurricane. The rebuild was a nightmare. Every time we thought that it was fixed another pipe broke from pressure. The motor for the fire suppression system has been ordered. Supply chain shortages are once again an issue but we plan to have this done by the beginning of September.
- Our new forklift has been in operation for the last 3 weeks. Thanks to our staff for keeping “Big Daddy”, our only lift that survived the storm, operating with only one minor delay.
- As detailed in my last newsletter, the Board has hired local attorney and SHYC member Mike McQuagge as our legal counsel in litigation against Velocity, our wind insurance company that has denied us coverage under our policy. The company that will represent us in preparing the evidence to justify our claim is Team Complete, from Pensacola, Florida. They have been to SHYC several times for inspections, the last time was Friday, June 30, when a team of engineers and experts spent the day examining all aspects of the damages. This will undoubtedly be a lengthy process but we will aggressively pursue a fair settlement. If you have plans to sell your slip while this litigation is in progress, make sure that the Contract of Sale contains language that if a settlement occurs after the sale those settlement proceeds go the owner of record at the time of the closing. As previously stated, the Board has pledged that any monies received from the litigation, after all litigation expenses, will be returned to the members of record.
- With regard to the final payment for the completion of the siding, payment of the new fuel tank installation and the motor and the installation for the fire suppression system, we have the funds to pay for all of these projects when they are completed. Our club is solvent!
As a side note, but very important, is your support in keeping our kitchen in operation. Please use these facilities, especially during the slow summer season. Business is particularly slow due to the fact that are friends and members from Punta Rassa are not expecting to be back in their homes any time soon. We wish them well with their continued recovery and looking forward to their return home as soon as possible. Our summer restaurant hours are 7am to 5pm every day except for Friday when we will open until 7pm. Please remember that our full menu is available for takeout orders (including beer and beverages). Please order ahead of your departure and your order will be ready when you arrive for your launch time. For those new members, we also provide ice for your trip limited to 2 buckets max at no charge. After a great day on the water please stop in for a drink, a snack or a meal. If you have not stopped at our restaurant in a while please do so, our food under the supervision of food and beverage service manager Adian Boneta is very good and the price is right!
Our annual members meeting was postponed in March while we were repairing our facilities. The meeting will be held on October 4th, 2023, at 4pm.
There are two Board of Directors seats up for re-election. The current members whose seats are up for election are the President Peter Mazzagatti and Board Secretary/Treasurer Nick Amelio. We will both be seeking re-election since there is a great deal left to do, especially during the litigation proceedings that we are going into. You will be receiving information in the next month or so if any members want to run for the Board at this time.
In closing, I want to sincerely thank each and every one of you for your support during the nightmare that we have gone through following the hurricane. The Board of Directors were at ground zero from the day that we were able to re-enter the property after the hurricane and we are still there every working day. Heartfelt thanks to our Board, to Chad Edmonds our amazing GM, to our loyal employees and our supportive owners. I could not even have attempted this task without all of you! We truly are family.
I am available at any time for your questions or any assistance. God bless all as we continue to heal and rebuild.
Sincerely,
Peter Mazzagatti, President
Sanibel Harbour Yacht Club
239-470-9577 Cell
pmazzagatti@comcast.net