ALSC Membership Guidance Poll

(Update: Originally posted on December 23rd, 2013. With the Membership Poll scheduled to conclude on January 15th the publish date has been updated to push this important issue to the top of stack. No other text has been changed from the original post.)

ATTENTION ALL CURRENT ALSC MEMBERS FOR 2013
READ THIS IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM YOUR ALSC BOARD

At the 2013 ALSC Christmas Party we conducted our customary year end board meeting open to all members in attendance. As announced previously on the blog the fireworks committee presented different options regarding the future of our long standing fireworks show advising those in attendance that these options would be presented to all our active membership in the form of a survey or ballot so that the board could act in accordance with what the majority of the members decided.

Therefore all Angle Lake Shore Club Members in ‘active status’ as of December 27th, 2013 will be mailed an official ballot to be received before the first of the year. On that ballot there will be 4 different options to vote on regarding the future of our annual fireworks show. Included with the ballot is additional information to help each member decide which option they feel is in the best interest of the community. Each ‘Individual’ membership (those who pay $5 per year) will be entitled to submit one ballot vote whereas a ‘Family’ membership (those who pay $10 per year) will be allowed to submit two ballot votes. Members will have two weeks to decide on an option and vote. All votes received on or before January 15th will be tallied and retained by our treasurer Judy Williams.

A quick summary of the options is as follows:
  • Option One – Turn the fireworks over to the City
  • Option Two – Maintain ALSC control over fireworks and downsize show to our current budget
  • Option Three – Maintain ALSC control over fireworks, increase suggested fireworks yearly donation and issue capital call for securing TFP
  • Option Four – Continue to partner with the City and negotiate the best deal we can with the City and (if approved) take advantage of their offer to use the new dock sections at the park as our TFP.  
After we tally all the votes we will act upon the option with the most votes, however in the event that there is no clear majority the board will take the two most popular options and make a final decision based on a vote by the board.  Results will be announced on this blog site as soon as possible and also in our spring newsletter.  Thank you all in advance for your participation in this matter.  

A copy of the official ballot package may be viewed HERE.

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Click the 'Comments' link below to share your opinion.

6 comments:

LPG said...

Topics like this is one of the main reasons for developing this blog site. It's your chance as a community to share your ideas and voice your opinion on this issue. If you feel strongly about this topic in general or wish to provide any additional information on any of the options presented this is a perfect tool to do so. I know I'll be posting my thoughts on the subject as the voting deadline nears. HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!!!!!

LPG said...

I personally am fine with whichever OPTION is adopted by the club.
So here are my observations with regards to OPTION #1. If this is adopted by us don't be surprised if the City elects not to pursue a fireworks show. And if they do they may very well position it at the widest point of the lake which is halfway between the normal position at the 'L' and the park. At this area 8" shells may be able to be used legally. My issue is that if this is adapted I feel a bit guilty about the potential loss of a fireworks show that has been a long time tradition of the ALSC. Just something to ponder for those that vote for this option. On the plus side for the board it certainly takes quite a burden off of us.
LOL

LPG said...

With regards to Option 2, while economically pleasing to everyone it will result in a much smaller show. Yes viewing for those around the diameter of the show will still no doubtedly be satisfied I personally find it hard to get excited about it. Also my motivation to be personally involved in a smaller show would be diminished to the point that I would look to someone else to handle the fireworks show for the ALSC. And we would still need to procure a TFP although smaller in size than what is required for the larger show.
LOL

LPG said...

My final thought for today is regarding the TFP required to stage the show from. If options 2 or 3 are implemented there is the possibility of looking into a TFP made from styrafoam, timbers and plywood similar to what Eagle Fireworks used. The challenge here is to find someone on the lake who is willing and who has the room to store the TFP components during the year. For the large show this may require approximately 1/2 to 3/4 of a 40' semi-truck trailer. But cost would be considerably less than constructing conventional dock sections. Just something to think about if voting for Options 2 or 3.

LPG said...

Option #3 gives us control but not without a hefty price tag attached. While the capital call for funds to secure the TFP is a one time occurrence be aware that from an economical standpoint the effect will be that the money raised in 2014 will be applied and will determine the size of the 2014 show, as opposed to our current financial position where funds that were collected in 2013 would be applied to the 2014 show. Also we may be able to save some money on the TFP if we can come up with a design using styrafoam, timbers and plywood similar to what Eagle Fireworks used but there still is the issue of storage. We certainly could rent a storage unit but then there is the issue of transport to and from the lake and the volunteer time it would take to assemble the raft as opposed to having dock units built and stored around the lake. Of course the dock units are a whole other ball game as they would still need to be considered 'temporary' in nature and we run the risk of being told they have to be moved off lake. If this is the case we may find ourselves in a real bind if they are not built to current code requirements. I'm just suggesting here that building dock units and positioning them around the lake has it's risks and to go through a formal permitting process will be extremely expensive.
In the end I like the idea of keeping full control of our show and working at making it bigger and better each year, but will everyone be prepared to provide the financial support necessary for this specific option.
LOL

LPG said...

Option 4 supports our continued partnership with the City. This is our best option to continue with a fantastic show with the least economical impact to the ALSC. Financial support through the City would come through the city's 'Festival Committee'(FC). The FC will be meeting at 4:30 pm on the 9th of January to discuss if and how they (the City) wants to participate in the 2014 fireworks show. Members of your ALSC fireworks committee will then meet with The City Manager (Todd Cutts) and Parks and Recreation director Kit Ledbetter to present the City's formal position regarding continued support of the fireworks.
As of this writing what the City has informally offered thus far is as follows:
1. Provide TFP in form of removable dock sections from public park
2. City will only donate $5,000 to $6,000 towards the fireworks show in lieu of the $10,000 donated previous years. (This apparently has been reduced to exhibit a vote of no confidence by our 'partners' due to the problems encountered over the past two years)
3. Payment of the City's portion will only be made upon a 'successful' performance of the show. This was explained to us that since we saw fit to put a performance clause in the contract with the fireworks contractor the City seems it is only fair that they do this with the ALSC. In other words the ALSC takes all the risk of putting on a spectacular show and in the event we are successful the City can claim their support and in the event we have another glitch they can throw us under the bus. I'm not sure this is how partnerships should work as it seems we are being treated like a contractor to the City.
4. While the ALSC has extra funds to apply to the 2014 show as a result of the reduced payments made to Eagle Fireworks these past two years the City also has realized their proportionate share of these reduced payments. Therefore in theory the City has $10,000 of money previously allotted to fireworks that was never expended as does the ALSC. This is why the reduction of the City's financial support really makes no sense at all.
Bottom line is we need to see what the City is prepared to formally present to the ALSC fireworks committee on the 9th so we have a better understanding of where we stand.
LOL