3.17.2020 wcc letter

3.17.2020 wcc letter

3/17/2020

Dear Wilmington Country Club Member,

The daily, almost hourly, news updates about COVID-19, or coronavirus, are daunting. Further restrictions and mandates from State of Delaware that were initiated yesterday clearly establish the spirit and many protocols that should be strictly followed. Your Club will comply with all requirements and expectations. Effective 12:00 noon, Tuesday 3/17/2020 and until further notice, access to the WCC property is limited to Members ONLY.

Our goal is to do our part to slow the spread of the virus and to do our best to protect our members and staff.

Our first line of defense in the spread of the virus is to practice the procedures recommended by the CDC and the World Health Organization. As a reminder and indication of what that means:

What you should do: • Regardless as where you are, follow the guidelines from the authorities about washing your hands, maintaining appropriate social distance and avoiding large groups. • If you have self-quarantined or been diagnosed with the coronavirus and you have visited the Club within the past 14 days, we ask that you make the Club aware by contacting Phil Iannelli. You may call his office at 302.655.7171 or via email [email protected] Actions that have already been undertaken by the Club include: • Rigorous standards of sanitation across all club venues with an increased emphasis on surface disinfection at all touch points. • Management team check-ins with staff in all departments as they arrive to ensure that any staff member exhibiting signs of being sick is sent home. • Increased the levels of fresh air into our facilities from the outside through the HVAC systems. Filters were replaced last week and will be replaced again after 30 days rather than the typical 180 day useful life. • Modifications to food service protocols to prevent the opportunity of cross contamination and member separation. In addition to the actions already implemented, these new government mandates require that more be put in place. These times are unprecedented and as such, there is no roadmap to use as a guide. The fundamental principles that we followed in reaching these decisions is to protect the interests of our members and our Club and fulfill our social obligation to help stop the spread of this virus. We anticipate that these actions will be modified even further, as the situation in our club and community continues to evolve. This could include the closure of the entire campus. Restricted Access to the Wilmington Country Club Property and Facilities Social Distancing is a key component in fighting the spread of the virus. In effort to limit the number of individuals and their opportunity for communal gathering, effective 12:00 noon, Tuesday 3/17/2020 and until further notice, access to the WCC property is limited to Members ONLY. Regardless of venue or purpose, no guests may be introduced or provided access to the Club. This includes any family members who are not Club Members. The easy definition is this: “If you don’t pay dues, you aren’t a member”. The exception to this is children of members under the age of ten years. They will be allowed access when in the company of their MEMBER PARENT. The decisions made to date can be grouped in the following categories:

This restriction necessitates the immediate cancellation of all events that are held at our club through April 19. This date may be shortened or extended as the situation warrants. This includes all Easter related activities. Services provided and/or adjusted: Dining: The current winter operating schedule will continue until further notice. Dining is now limited to Take-out only. 11:30 to 7:30 Wednesday through Sunday. A limited menu is being developed. The Grill, Tavern, Café 1901 and Pub 37 are closed. You will receive additional communication regarding the specifics of food service. Golf: Golf will continue to be available to MEMBERS ONLY. The 2020 Golf calendar was scheduled to kickoff the week of April 14th. The start will be delayed. There will be no organized golf activity through April 19th and this date will be re-evaluated as the situation develops. The Golf Simulator is closed. The Golf Shop is closed but the bag room will be open Tuesday through Sunday. Golf carts will be available for individual use (one person per cart). Private lessons will continue on an individual basis. Racquets: All Racquets facilities will remain accessible to MEMBERS ONLY. Clinics, leagues, or any organized play has been discontinued. The Racquet Shop will be closed. Private lessons will continue on an individual basis Fitness: The fitness center and all group fitness classes/yoga, as well as private treatment services are closed. Clubhouse: There will be an 8:00 pm strict closing. All buildings will be secured at that time and re-opened at 8:00 am, the following morning. At times the clubhouse is open, no services are available. Members are asked to refrain from using the club in any form that does not support the spirit of these restrictions. Operational cost controls have already been implemented by management. This includes adjustments to some services and seasonal staffing, essential spending, club related travel and non-productive programming. • Capital projects – capital improvements that were included as part of the 2020 routine program have been halted. Projects that have been initiated and cannot be reversed without penalty or disruption will proceed, but nothing new may be undertaken. In the event an existing asset fails, the need will be addressed on a case-by-case basis. The Tennis Improvement Project will continue, but every aspect will be explored to minimize the overall total cost. • The protection of our Club’s employees is important during this period and we are developing plans that help protect them financially as we all work through these times. Finally, the health and well-being of our members and our staff are our highest priority. We take these responsibilities to you very seriously and are prepared to adapt as the situation requires. Thank you for your support and understanding during this time. Fiscal Management: •

Sincerely,

Gary Ferguson President

Phil Iannelli General Manager