Hello everyone,
I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe, happy and healthy.  I imagine that you are as anxious about getting life back to normal as much as I am.  Of course the big question is obviously “what will our new ‘normal’ be?”   
The board and I have been discussing on a daily basis what our new normal may look like for us up at the club this summer.  At our board meeting last night, we addressed where we are currently at with things, as well as what our course of action(s) will be as more details and directives come our way from both the govrneor and the Clermont County Board of Health.   As everyone knows, the governor has been very vague when it comes to disclosing his plan for pools and outdoor clubs.  It is extremely frustrating for all of us to not know what to plan for, both financially and recreationally.  We talked about all of the possible scenarios we could face once a decison is made, the various options for operating under social distancing restrictions and how we are ultimately going to keep everyone safe.  
I have listed out below some of the highlighted topics that we discussed because I want to try and keep everyone in the loop the best I can. 

Q. Will we open on time?
A. Opening Day is scheduled for Saturday May 23rd.  With the governor enforcing the Stay at Home policy until May 29th, we will not be opening as planned.  We will plan on opening as soon as we are given the okay.  Our best guess, after having spoken with other clubs board presidents, operators, the 7-Hills Swim/Dive League, board of health, and other companies in the pool business, is we’re thinking it will be closer to mid-June unfortunately.  Of course, no one really knows for sure so we’ll have to wait and see.  Regardless of when that date is, we promise to have our club ready to go for all of you.  

Q.  Why are you preparing the club now if we won’t be opening for another month or longer?
A.  Every year we get the club, and especially the pool, ready 2-3 weeks before opening day to make sure everything is functioning properly.  As we found out last year when we had several issues with leaks, that it took us to the day before we opened to get ithem fixed.  More importantly than that, we want to make sure the water is completely sanitzed and conditioned to maintain the highest levels of cleanliness and disinfecting.  Now more than ever, it will be imperative to maintain the water chemistry and chlorine levels are properly maintained since we now know that the Co-vid 19 virus can not spread in properly chlorinated pools.  By having the pool filled and ready to go in advance, we can ensure that we meet all safety criteria the day we get the okay to open up.  

Q. What is the club policy for sending in dues, paying late fees, and resignations since the due date was pushed back until May 15th?
A. Dues are to be received by (postmarked) May 15th.   There is a $50 late fee assessed for any dues received after May 15th.  If dues are not received by May 31st, the board reserves the right to revoke the unpaid membership.   If you intend to resign, make sure you communicate it to us prior to dues deadline on the 15th.
**Please remember that you can pay your dues via credit card through the invoice that was emailed to you.  If you did not receive an invoice, please email clubinfo@miamihills.com  

Q. How will we get credited for the days of summer we miss?
A.  We are going to keep track of the days that we lose because of the corona virus.  At the end of the summer, we will assess our financial situation and determine the amount that we can credit towards your dues for the following summer 2021.  That amount will be determined by evaluating our expenses accrued this summer based on how how much staff we end up needing, if our programs and teams were able to function and how much, if any, income we bring from things like lessons, concessions, guests, etc.  That number will not be determined until we account for all of the bills we are responsible for.  

It is going to be our full intention to maximize everyone’s time at the club this summer.  Depending on our limitations and restrictions, we are going to try and get people in as much as we are possibly allowed to.  We just don’t know what that is going to look like at this point. 

Q.  Is the Open House for the swim/dive teams, tennnis teams, lessons and new members still going to happen on May 13th?
A. No, the open house has been cancelled for now.  We are working on a way to communicate all information for sign-ups and registrations without having to meet in person.  We are also waiting to learn more details before we begin accepting registrations.

Q. Will swim/dive/tennis be having a season or is it cancelled?
A.  The 7-hills swim/dive league has been meeting to discuss their options.  They have already cancelled champs for this year.  They are meeting again on May 17th to decide if the season will actually happen or not.  If they do cancel the season, we are discussing our options for getting swimmers in the water. We have not heard anything regarding the tennis team season yet. 

I know this is a lot of information, but like I said, we are trying to communicate as best we can based on what we know.  Unfortunately, that’s not a whole lot right now.  We do want to thank everyone for your patience and understanding as we all try to get through this together.  Please stay safe and we will be in touch as soon as we know more details.  

Take care and stay safe! 
Andy Wilson