(The incoming President customarily provides a message in the Calendar that gets distributed in December)
2020 will certainly remain in our memories as one of the most difficult and chaotic years in memory for many of us. As a Club, we persevered through these times and remained dedicated to providing our Membership with opportunities to continue being outdoors in a safe place doing what we love to do….roll bowls!
Play was halted and the Green locked on March 17. On May 21, the Green was re-opened for limited play under strict safety protocols. The appetite for bowling was demonstrated by the 299 players playing in June. Since then, we have had continuous play and have been able to remove some restrictions allowing us to be approaching 1500 players playing to date. We managed to work through a remote process for one tournament and are proceeding with another one. It is complicated and not easy to manage but we are all trying to cooperate and make it work for the benefit, again, of our members. Speaking of which, our Membership in 2020 has exceeded our Membership in 2019 somewhat due to the fact that we were one of the first clubs to open under safety protocols.
WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD?
We have enclosed this year’s 2020 Calendar just as a reminder to you of the wonderful things we had planned for the CLBC. Your Board of Directors has worked hard to keep you on the Green in the short term and has developed a similar calendar of activity and events for 2021 should we emerge into more normal times with fewer restrictions. We have not published a fancy calendar of those events yet and plan to take it quarter by quarter or month by month as the guidelines change. We will be working on plans to keep you posted via the Google Group Email and the Coronado Lawn Bowling Club’s Web page (www.coronadolawnbowling.com).
We continue to work with the City of Coronado to remedy the drainage problems around the Green, to eliminate the fungus issues on the Green and to ultimately replace the turf on the Green, which they have been assuring us they will do. There are some changes in the air, however, due to the fact that City Council last week approved plans to make operational changes at the John D. Spreckels Center. The JDSC will pursue partnerships with the Coronado Public Library and the Coronado Cultural Arts Commission for the programming of the Center. Your CLBC operates with its own City Permit to Use but the changes in JDSC operations will likely have some impact on us as a partner. Again, we will keep you updated regarding any changes as time goes on.
It has been about 43% of our total Membership that is venturing out to bowl under the safety protocols while some stay home to ensure their safety. As we close this year, we are hoping that everyone will renew membership to support and, ultimately, to return to the Green and play. We have a few increased expenses now that we have a scheduling system for our 7-days a week play reservation and a sign-up system for our Saturday Social Distancing Bowling. Other expenses continue such as the insurance that we must maintain, our telephone system, and some added equipment that we have been purchasing so that we do not have as much shared equipment use. As you pay your dues, remember that, if you joined Bowls USA this past year, Bowls USA is transferring those dues to cover 2021 so you do not have to include another $20 for 2021. If you have not joined Bowls USA, we strongly encourage you to do that as it is a great support to our sport in the long run.
Wishing you the very best in these difficult and troubling times. Be safe, but most of all, be happy!
Warm regards,
Berie Grobe