1/16/2024

Hello Everyone,

I just want to take a few minutes of your time to give you some information on our Club, this last year’s events and what is ahead of us for 2024.

As you all are aware, the last several years have been interesting and challenging

everywhere and that includes the tennis club. One of the challenges that we have spent a lot of time and energy on the negotiation of a new Special Use Agreement with the City of San Diego that extends our use of the facilities. I am happy to report that after a lot of effort by many folks, we were able to successfully complete the new agreement this fall. This is a new updated agreement and thanks to the combined efforts of City Parks, our sister tennis clubs, and the team should pave the way for our next extension in 3 years and make the process much smoother and simpler.

In addition to that we have tried hard to continue to improve the facilities and I hope you will agree that the courts are well maintained and in great shape. With the completion of the new agreement and the facilities in good shape we would like to focus this year on a new initiative. We are working on selecting and implementing an on-line court reservation system. This is something that has been requested by a lot of you and we are committed to bringing it on this year. One of the things that we are going to need is to make sure we have your email address for those of you that would like to opt in to using it. As we get closer to implementing, we will keep you updated on the process and getting signed up.

Membership renewals are coming up the first of March again this year and I hope you all will renew your memberships and continue to enjoy the facilities. The memberships for this coming year will be $335 for singles, $460 for families, and $110 for juniors. This is an increase for singles and families from the price the last 5 years. Our focus continues to be to provide the best place to play at the lowest possible price and this increase is necessary to keep the Club Facilities well maintained, meet the wage requirements under our agreement with City Parks, and keep the Club at a breakeven level. It is always a challenge to balance all of this and I would ask you to continue to support the Club, our tennis professionals, and all the volunteers that make this work.

Best regards and wishing you a healthy and happy 2024.

Frank Riolo

LMTC President

7/14/2023

Dear Members,

I want to thank everyone for taking the time to vote in our recent election for the Board Members for this upcoming year.  The Board Members that were unanimously elected to serve this year are:

Frank Riolo - President

Brian Bergeson - Vice President

Denise Stefanson - Secretary

Kathy Culver - Treasurer

Lynne Carrey - Leagues

Holly Fields - Social

Jamie Lawson - Membership

Chet Snyder - Facilities

Ernie Kovacs - Past President

We want to thank Kaye Listug for all of her time and work and we look forward to her continuing involvement in the Club and with everything.

Frank Riolo

President, LMTC

7/3/2021

Dear LMTC Members,

Well the 2021/2022 LMTC Board has served its term and a new Board has been voted into office effective immediately.  

As past president I want to thank each and every board member for their outstanding service, as this past term has been the most productive in the long history of the club. There were many tasks that were accomplished that continued to keep LMTC one of the finest tennis facilities in San Diego.

In this past year, the board did much needed repairs to the clubhouse, new wind screens were installed, new shaded benches were also added and many thanks for the generosity of those members who contributed to the project to make it possible. The gazebo was completely renovated for use during tournaments and other events and new water fountains were installed for the coming summer months.

So much of this work was accomplished thanks to Chet Snyder who has been very busy overseeing these improvements to the premises. I also want to thank Kathy Culver for her professional financial services on behalf of the club, Lynne Carey for coordinating league play as well as serving as secretary. Thanks also to Frank Riolo for generating membership reports throughout the year, Denis Stefanson for club events and Kaye Listug as Vice President.

Our club has experienced outstanding growth in the past two years and thanks to Kathy and Dan Emmerson our reservation system, management of our Standard Use Permit and oversight of our team of tennis pros has kept pace with excellent service.

Thanks again to all for making this past year a truly successful year and promising a continued record for the coming season.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

Past President LMTC

12/19/2021

 

Dear LMTC Members:

Well, 2021 has been a very eventful year for our country and no less so for our tennis club. We have had to make adjustments for COVID with new protocols for wearing masks indoors and outside as well, with a tentative return for indoor only restrictions.  However, through it all, the club experienced fantastic growth in new memberships, exceeding all previous member totals to over seven hundred. This includes singles, families and juniors.  In addition, speaking of Juniors, our teaching instructors have built up one of the more successful programs for juniors in East County and it’s great to see the fun and enthusiasm of our young future tennis players. Thanks to all those parents who have driven the kids to the club every week.

As for the club in general, 2021 has been among the most successful and productive we’ve been in many years. Our invaluable board has been outstanding as we work with EMMO Tennis, to ensure the club remains among the best tennis facilities in San Diego. To that end, you must be aware that the club has made a number of maintenance and capital improvements throughout the year, such as new windscreens, periodic replacement of nets, on-going attention to court playing surfaces and as important new shaded benches.

It was so gratifying to see so many of our core members donate in excess of the $17,500 to pay for five shaded benches which will be so much more convenient during our hot summer months. Due to COVID conditions, we have had delayed many of our improvements that has held up replacing our  water fountains but we are confident that will be completed sometime in January so all in all, there has been much accomplished to upgrade and maintain the highest standards that can be expected of a private/public tennis facility.

Finally, I want to wish all our members a Happy Holiday and prosperous New Year. I have had the privilege of meeting and knowing so many members and am grateful for the opportunity to contribute in a small way to the better enjoyment, not just of tennis, but of a community of fine people that have made my life more complete and enjoyable.

To all, have a safe and enjoyable holiday with friends and family.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

6/16

Dear Members,

I want to give you an update to our club donations for the shaded benches. So far we are doing really well thanks to generous contributions from so many members.

As of today, we have raised $13,005 of the total goal of $17,500 needed. That’s 75% of the way there and hopefully we can close out the rest in the coming

days (weeks).

We all can benefit from shaded courts so I ask if you haven’t contributed so far, please join in with your fellow members and be a part of the club’s goal

to help improve playing conditions and protect our health from the heat.  As I read the names of those of you who have generously donated

I am deeply gratified and proud to serve as your president, knowing how many of you care.

Thanks to those who have joined the effort and I urge the rest to give however much you can so we can install the shade as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

6/15

Dear Members -

In accordance with Governor Newsom’s ruling to fully open California’s COVID restrictions today, June 15th, LMTC will be in full compliance.  This means, as of today, the club is returning to normal operations.

The clubhouse is now fully open and we may once again sign in inside the clubhouse, so please include your membership number. If you do not know or remember your number, please ask the person at the desk and they will assist you.

We will also return to our normal Friday Night Flings, so you can plan accordingly if you are interested.

Finally, we are awaiting advice from Parks & Recreation regarding our water fountains. We have repaired them for use, however, there may be continuing restrictions so I will let you know immediately upon learning their status. In any event, the plan is to order new fountains in order to provide safe drinking conditions.

Thank you for your attention and patience as we once again continue to enjoy LMTC tennis play.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President LMTC

5/27

Dear Members:

Here’s an update on our donation drive for shaded benches;

So far we have had three really generous contributions to fully pay for three shaded benches. That alone means we only have two more to go to cover our goal of five shaded benches. We now have a total of $11,540 donated so we’re well on our way to covering the cost of fully shaded courts. This will be a significant improvement for our club as there are a few, if any, public/private non-profit clubs offering such outstanding quality of play.

If you will benefit from this addition to our courts, I urge you to make a contribution, however much you feel comfortable with so we can all be part of this improvement effort.

I want to thank everyone who has participated so far and know more of you will be generous enough to join in.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

5/25

Dear Members,

Many of you have been asking and some complaining about the club’s mask wearing rules. We have explained the club does not set the rules but rather adheres to the directives of the city through the Parks and Recreation Department that holds our license to operate.

Today, we have received a new directive that will now allow for members to not wear masks unless entering the clubhouse. The ruling will be instituted on the honor system in that individual members should have received their two vaccines making them immune.

I ask that all members understand the club works in the interest, safety and consideration of all.

Thank you for your attention and continued support.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

P.S.

You may refer to; guidance for face coverings (ca.gov) for further information.

5/21

Dear Members -

Some of you have been asking about the COVID mask requirements and when the club will be issuing a statement to end the protocol.

As of today, we are following the COVID restrictions as handed down to the club from the San Diego Parks and Recreation. The club does not have the authority to behave independently and therefore we must follow our guidelines as ordered.

I hope, as do we all, these protocols will end soon and we do anticipate that happening as soon as Mid-June. Until then please follow the club’s guidelines until further notice.

Thank you for your consideration,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

 

5/21

Dear Members -

As we all know, San Diego summers seem to be getting hotter and hotter making play more challenging. So, over the years there have been questions as to whether the club can do anything to provide shade for our players. Well, at our last board meeting we have decided to commit to adding shaded benches positioned in between courts to provide shade for play on each adjacent court.

The cost of each shaded bench is estimated to be $3500 each, fully installed, the bids have been sent out and that’s the best price we’ve been able to secure for the club. Since the club will be incurring costs to install new wind screens for all courts, we are asking for donations to help offset this additional expense.

So far we have received two generous contributions to pay for two of the benches so instead of needing to pay for all five benches, we only need donations for three or a total of $10,500. I believe we have enough players who will greatly benefit from shaded courts so I’m asking each member to help by contributing

to the overall effort to keep LMTC one of the best playing facilities in San Diego.

There will be a sign-up sheet for members to place their name/membership number and amount donated. I want to thank everyone in advance for their support and look forward to a successful campaign.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

5/3

Dear LMTC Members,

The club is experiencing another outstanding membership season for 2021, which I’’m happy to report means proposed capital improvements are now scheduled.

First, we will be installing new windscreens throughout all ten courts. This will begin early June and should not affect play. This project was helped along by

a small grant ($5,000) from the Greater San Diego City Tennis Council. Our thanks to GSDCTC for their much needed support.

Also, in the plans for the coming year will be the addition of covered sun benches stationed between each adjacent court.

We have had for years requests from members for sun shade especially during the hot summer months. The covered benches will provide needed shade

and add to the enjoyment of play. The date of installation will be announced within the coming months.

I’m happy to report our financial situation is healthy and your memberships have contributed greatly to our ability to offer the finest playing conditions in all

of San Diego. Thank you again to all our members for their continued support.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

3/3

Dear LMTC Members,

This is a reminder that March 1st begins the club’s fiscal year and therefore represents renewal time. So far renewals are lagging and I want to remind everyone not to make last minute plans and put a rush on our administration to process the paperwork. Also, there will be a fine for late sign-ups.

So please take time to visit the clubhouse and renew your membership and remember we do not accept credit cards as some of you have tried to do. We accept cash or checks as valid payment only.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and let’s look forward to another year of outstanding tennis at LMTC.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

1/22

To All LMTC Members -

The club is ready to process membership renewals for the 2021-2022 season starting March 1st, 2021 through February 28th 2022.

You may begin to enter your information at the beginning of March as forms will be available at the front desk.

The new form will require you to fill in your membership information along with a check/or cash; check being preferable.

The membership dues for the coming season have not been changed and are as follows:

Families -              *$415

*Note: A FAMILY consists of NO MORE than two adults and MINOR children living in the same household.

Children up to 25 are allowed if they can show proof of residency in household.

Additional adults must apply for separate single membership.

Singles -                       $300

Juniors -                       $110

A late fee will be incurred for renewals after March 15th of $15 and $25 for renewals after April 15th.

LMTC looks forward to another great year of tennis serving our community during this challenging COVID pandemic.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President LMTC

12/6

All LMTC Members -

To those of you who have been taking time to renew your memberships early for 2021, please be advised the club’s new fiscal calendar begins March 1, 2021 rather than the previous start date of Jan 1.

The club will be processing new renewal forms to reflect any changes so please hold off sending in your renewal fees until the club is ready to administer your membership. We will begin to distribute new

forms no later than thirty days in advance of the new renewal date.

Thank you for your consideration of these changes.

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

8/1

To Lake Murray Tennis Club Members:

The club has successfully completed its annual campaign for a new board which took effect as of August 1st.

I am pleased to serve as your president for the coming year and am grateful to past president Frank Riolo for the outstanding job he did.

We had a very successful year, adding new memberships as well as a thriving Juniors program. We continue to offer outstanding playing conditions to serve our members.

Thanks to Chet Snyder who led the board to oversee the resurfacing of our courts as well as a new storage facility for our teaching pros.

I would also like to recognize the great job Kathy Culver did serving as both treasurer and membership chair; two very important positions which she mastered to our debt.

To the rest of the board, thank you for volunteering your time and I will do my best to maintain the high standards you set this past year.

The COVID pandemic has definitely challenged our normal procedures and protocol,  so thank you to all our members for observing the rules set forth by San Diego Recreation Board.

I know we will get through this together and continue to be an outstanding tennis club for San Diego.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC  

7/21

The election for the Board of Directors for

2020-2021 is completed and thank you to everyone that participated and a special thank you to the new Board members for volunteering.  

The Officers elected are Ernie Kovacs, President; Denise Stepheson, VP; Kay Listug, Secretary, and Greg Smock, Treasurer.  The Non-Officer Directors elected are Lynne Carry, Greg Houska, Eric Karlson, and Chet Snyder.

7/20

Annual Board Report for 2019-2020

 This year has been filled with unique challenges for everyone including our Lake Murray Tennis Club.  The big event for all of us was certainly the impact of the Covid-19 Virus on our lives and our business operations.  For the Club, the required closing of the facility for March, April and May along with the uncertainty of how to proceed was challenging.  Fortunately, we were able to resume operations the first of June thanks to the efforts of everyone to work together setting up protocols and working with the City to receive permission to resume operations.  We are following all of the required protocols and we have received compliments from City Parks on our safety compliance and how the Club is working to keep everyone safe and healthy.

 The closing did have a significant impact on our revenue for this Spring.  About half of our annual revenue comes from our Dues and the other half from operations, which is largely generated from Lessons, Clinics and Guest Fees.  Our expenses were reduced significantly as well with the Facility closed but the result was still negative for that period.  The best news is we are seeing a significant increase in new members since we reopened.  In June we had 15 new members and have an additional 8 more in the first part of July.  A number of the new members are Families and this surge has put us with 18 more memberships than we had at this same time last year and a current total of 334 memberships.

Normally the big news for this year would have been the resurfacing of all of the Courts.  It is the largest expenditure for our Club and the key to maintaining our agreement with the City for use of the Facilities.  The resurfacing is required every 5 to 6 years but every 15 to 20 years it requires extra work to remove all of the prior surfaces and repair any issues with the concrete.  This resurfacing was the first time that the Club has been required to remove all of the other surfaces so it was very extensive, but we should be good for the next 20 years for normal resurfacing.

The Club is in a good financial position with adequate reserves, so we are able to continue to operate without any issues.   We ended the Calendar Year in 2019 in a good financial position as a result of the efforts of the last two Boards, Management, and Treasurer, Kathy Culver.  In 2019 we were able to improve operating results with both increased revenue and reduced expenses resulting in positive cash flow for the year.

Unfortunately, we are currently at a deficit for the first half of 2020 due to the reduction in revenue that I mentioned earlier but with the increase in membership and everyone coming back we should be able to recover and end the year in a good spot.  It would be great if you could get out and join in on a Clinic, take a lesson, or bring a friend out to play.  It helps the Club and I am sure Dan, Steve, Nate, Danielle and Elden will appreciate the support.

It has certainly been an interesting year and there remain a lot of items that will continue to be worked on.  I am sure the incoming Board will continue to move things forward so that we all can keep enjoying our tennis.  I want to thank the outgoing Board for their support and work this year and their willingness to donate their time.

The Financial Reports for both Year End 2019 and for the first six months of this year are accompanying this report.        

Stay well everyone,

Frank Riolo

7/16

LMTC Members,

With the recent increase in Covid cases and imposed operating restrictions in San Diego we are going to postpone the Annual Meeting until such a time as we can have gatherings safely.  The voting for the Board is continuing and will close at 2:00 pm on Saturday, July 18th, so please get your vote in as soon as possible.  

The Club is continuing to operate without any additional restrictions thanks to the good job everyone is doing maintaining safe protocols.  Thanks everyone for doing such a great job staying safe and hopefully we can continue to play without any interruption throughout these challenging times.  

Stay Well,

Frank Riolo
LMTC President

7/5

To Lake Murray Members

Please take the time to vote for the Board of Directors for this upcoming year 2020-2021.  As you know we are later this year in the voting process due to the closure so please come by the Club and cast your ballot or print out the ballot attached and vote by mail.  The ballots will be available at the Club starting on Monday, July 6th and voting will conclude on Saturday, July 18th.  

Per LMTC By Laws each Single and Family membership will have one vote.  Junior memberships do not have voting rights.

After filling out your ballot and voting, you will then need to place your completed ballot into an envelope and then you will need to write your membership number and sign your name on the outside of that envelope.  By using this method, your vote will be anonymous.  If there are more than one vote per membership number, then all votes for that membership will be void.  

If you want to mail in your vote, please use the above instructions to keep your voting anonymous and place the ballot envelope into another envelope and mail it to the Club at 7003 Murray Park Drive, San Diego, CA 92119.

If you have any questions, please contact one of the Board Members.

We will be having the Annual Board Meeting at Noon at the Club on Saturday, July 18th at Noon.  

6/8

Hello LMTC Members,

Nominations for LMTC Board positions are open for the coming year, 2020-2021.  The positions include the Officers (President, Vice-President, Treasurer, Secretary) as well as the four "at-large" directors all serve 1-year terms beginning in July and ending June of 2021. The only requirement for nomination is that you are a member of LMTC.  Self-nominations are highly encouraged.  

Nominations can be made by filling in your name on the Nomination Board that is placed near the clubhouse entry or by emailing a current board member.  The officers will be listed individually and there will be an additional list for at-large directors.  If nominating for an at-large director position, please indicate an area of interest.  The Board is always in need of someone to work on membership, leagues, premises, and social so please consider one of those areas.  

The Candidates for Officer positions will run against other nominees for those four specific positions.  The remaining four board positions will be filled by the top four vote winners from the at-large candidates.  All candidates will be allowed to prepare a statement of candidacy for distribution to the members after the nominations are complete.  

Nominees will be contacted to confirm their willingness to be placed on the ballot and provided with information about preparing an optional statement of candidacy for distribution to the membership.

We are a little later than normal with the elections due to the closures so please consider signing up right away so we can have the election as soon as possible.  

Thank you for considering this opportunity to volunteer and please feel free to contact any board member with questions.

Sincerely,

The LMTC Board of Directors

6/1

Dear Members,

The Board of Directors has voted to extend the period covered by your 2020 dues for an additional two months to cover the period of time we were all unable to play as a result of the Covid-19 Shutdown.  Your Membership will now extend through February 28, 2021.  

Next year the Membership year will start on March 1st and continue through to February 28, 2022.  We hope you are holding up through all of this and look forward to seeing you out here enjoying playing tennis again soon.

Frank Riolo

President

5/29

Dear Members,

We received clearance late Friday from the City that we can reopen the Tennis Club.  The Club will be open this Monday, June 1st, for regular hours. There are some protocols that we will have to follow so please check the website, please read and follow them so that we can all continue to play and stay healthy.  

Telephone Reservations for courts can be made for Monday and play next week on Saturday and Sunday, this weekend, between Noon and 2pm.  At this time under our guidelines we will not be able to accept walk ups so please be sure and call the Clubhouse in advance to make your reservation.  

Thanks for your patience during these times and welcome back.

Frank Riolo

President

5/6

Hello LMTC Members,

With all of the speculation in the press about reopening I wanted to update you on where the Club is at in the process.  We have been in contact with the City and the Parks Department to see if we can get any definitive information on when we can open up again for play and what rules and restrictions might be required.  Unfortunately they have not been able to give us any information on a date or on any requirements.  We are staying in contact with them and are hopeful that with the gradual easing of restrictions it will be some time this month.  

I am sorry that we don't have a date to report to you that we can all get back to enjoying tennis again but I can report that we have been working on protocols and procedures for when we can open so that we are ready.  Emmo Tennis has taken the lead on the project compiling information and addressing best practices from the tennis and golf community.  With the assistance of our other Pros, Steve, Nate, Elden, Danielle along with a group of us, we are hoping to have a jump on anything we will need to do to be ready to go when we get the green light from the City.

In the mean time please stay safe and stay healthy so we can enjoy a summer of tennis.  

Frank Riolo

President

10/30

LMTC Members,

I wanted to update you again on the Court Resurfacing –

The repair work and resurfacing is completed on Courts 9 and 10 but we have encountered a scheduling problem with the machine that is required to do the surface removal.  Our Contractor is working on alternatives and as we have more information and a new timeline we will keep you posted.  In the meantime please check with the office on court availability.

There will also be some work going on over the next few weeks on the addition of a new storage shed adjacent to Court 10, so you will see some folks working in that area including Steve, Nate, Elden and Danielle who have volunteered to work on the project.

Appreciate everyone working together on all of this,

Frank

10/11

LMTC Members,

 

An update on the Court Resurfacing –

 

The repair work and resurfacing is completed on Courts 5 and 6 and will be completed this weekend on Courts 7 and 8.  The repair and patching on these four courts has been significant and it has taken more work than anticipated resulting in the work taking longer than scheduled.

 

Work is now beginning on Courts 9 and 10 and once they are completed they will move to begin Courts 1 through 4.

 

We have been able to adjust the schedule to have 8 Courts available this past week and will have 8 through the completion of the resurfacing on 9 and 10 and that has helped some of the busiest times.  We will drop back to 6 courts when the work starts on Courts 1 through 4 and we anticipate that will occur in the week of October 21st and depending upon the required repairs may last until the end of the month.  During that period court availability will be again limited to 6 courts so please be patient with everyone.  The Leagues and the Tennis Pros are all working with Dan and Kathy and are reducing their schedules during this period to make as many courts as possible available to everyone but there will still be challenges during this time for the busiest days.

 

We will continue to work together to balance the demand for courts and schedules.  Unfortunately this has taken longer than expected but it is necessary to do the work correctly and to make the investment last as long as possible.  I apologize for the inconvenience and understand as the time increases so does the inconvenience.  Everyone has been very cooperative and patient with the interruption in all of your schedules and it is appreciated.

 

Thank you,

 

Frank Riolo

LMTC President

8/13

LMTC Members,

 

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful summer filled with fun, adventure and great tennis.  I just wanted to update you on a few things that are occurring and will be occurring over the next few months.  The Board changed on July 1st and the Committee Chairpersons for this upcoming year are:

 

Barbara Beedle  -- Social

Nanette Herbuveaux – Leagues

Chet Snyder – Facilities

Donn Goss – Legal

Kathy Culver – Membership

 

If you would like to participate or assist them in their areas please let them know or drop a note off with Dan and Kathy.

 

The biggest project and most impactful for everyone is the resurfacing of all the courts and we are moving forward with the work to begin on September 23rd.  It has been necessary to adjust the starting date a bit due to the availability of the equipment we need to remove the old surface.  They will be working on 4 courts at a time and the project will take about 3-4 weeks to complete, please be patient with the reduced number of courts.  Chet’s experience as a contractor has really helped move this along and we look forward to the new surface and I am sure we will all enjoy playing on them.

 

This week the City Park’s Rec Area Manager came out and met with our Board.  She is very supportive and is assisting us with several repair and maintenance projects including the main gate, guardrail repair, trimming, refuse removal and clean up of drainage areas.        You may have noticed some of it and there will be more going on as crews are available to assist with the work.  She has also graciously volunteered to assist us with evaluating some other long-term improvement projects that have been discussed over the years.  She will be working with Chet, Donn and others for some ways we might be able to take on a few new projects.  Ernie was instrumental in setting up the meeting and will be assisting Chet with the Recreation Department as a Liaison, thank you Ernie for your expertise and assistance.

 

Another big project for this year is looking into the options and feasibility of an online reservation system.  Brian has volunteered to lead that undertaking.  His willingness to lead the way on this project is greatly appreciated.

 

Other things in progress include the ongoing work around the property on the water, electrical and Gazebo by Graham and Donn.   Barbara is working on setting up a Club Event for this fall, the Club Singles Championships are getting underway and Emmo Tennis will be holding tournaments in September and November.

 

Thanks again to everyone for all of their volunteer work.

 

Frank Riolo
President, LMTC

6/12

Hello LMTC Members,

Thank you to everyone who attended the annual member meeting last Saturday.  Special thanks to The Beedles for cooking up a storm (I enjoyed a tasty hamburger!) and providing a giant shade structure. Thanks also to teaching pros Dan Emmerson, Nathan Weldon and Steve Thom for supporting the tennis event.  Our club is very fortunate to have such great instructors (including Danielle Bryan and Elden Whisman) who volunteer for events like this!

As this Board term comes to an end I’d like to provide a short update on some items of interest:

- Our Special Use Permit is still pending with the City and per their instruction we continue to operate under the expired SUP

- The City did reaffirm we have permission to construct two additional courts, but no action was taken to explore this option

- Court resurfacing was postponed until July or August due to rains

- Member survey results were discussed by the Board, including the 70% of survey participants that want an online reservation system, but no  action was taken

- Our bylaws remain antiquated and while discussions were had in an effort to propose amendments to them no action was taken

- Since January: Family Memberships have increased 20%; Single Memberships have increased 7%; and Jr Memberships have increased 100%.

- League play continues to increase for both USTA (Adult and Jr) and WTT

Please join me in thanking outgoing Board members Diane Bailey, Bruce McLees and Emily Hill.  Diane worked tirelessly to keep our grounds looking good in a year where that was an impossible task.  Bruce supported transparency from the beginning of our term, even when it meant taking unpopular positions.  Emily was an advocate for increasing events, building membership and was ready to fundraise if the Board had moved ahead on facility improvement projects.

I’d also like to thank continuing Secretary Denise Stefanson who had the challenge of keeping track of all our proceedings during a very busy year.  She may have had the hardest job of all! Treasurer Kathy Culver improved the presentation of our monthly financial reports. Nanette Herbuveaux did an amazing job corralling all of the league requests and consistently helped find solutions.  Both Frank Riolo and Don Goss volunteered as VP’s late in the term and now have a running start for the next term.  Thanks to all of you for your generosity.

Congratulations to the new Board that will take over on July 1st, 2019:

Officers:

President  -   Frank Riolo

Vice President  -  Kaye Listug

Secretary  -  Denise Stefanson

Treasurer  -  Kathy Culver

Board Members:

Nanette Herbuveaux

Barbara Beedle

Don Goss

Chet Snyder

Brian Cox (Past President)

Thank you for the opportunity to serve as President.  I look forward to seeing many of you out on the courts, in leagues, and at local tournaments this summer.

Sincerely,

Brian Cox

President, LMTC

5/17

Hello LMTC Members,

The rainy weather has continued beyond what was expected and as a result the court resurfacing is not likely to begin before July.  Also, the "superbloom" brought far more vegetation to our grounds as well as some increased local bee activity.  The Board and Emmo Management are working together to address these issues.

Thank you for your understanding with the countless scheduling changes brought on by the rains.  I know that management and the teaching pros are doing their best to communicate and reschedule when rain closes the courts.  

 

Sincerely,

Brian Cox

President

7/23

Dear LMTC Members -

As you know, we held elections to replace last year’s board in which I served as president that ended June 30th.  The club elected Brian Cox as President along with a new treasurer, secretary, membership chair and social director. I will hold the Vice President’s chair to help Brian during the transition until he gets

acquainted with the many roles he will need to play to continue the club’s goal of providing the best tennis facility in East County.

I feel privileged to have served the club as president and to have been in a position to work with so many of our active members as well as working with the city to assist the club in maintaining our club grounds.  I also want to thank EMMO tennis for their continued support and excellent management of the club.  We

are all the beneficiaries of their dedication to providing a professional operation given the limited resources we have in both honoring our special use permit as well as the needs of all our members.

I want to thank all those members who volunteered for the various projects throughout the year and gave up their personal time to assist me with the many duties that must be fulfilled in order to operate to the best standards possible.

I urge you all to support Brian Cox in his new duties and I look forward to another outstanding year at our special club.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

Vice President

LMTC

6/19

Dear LMTC Members:

Thanks to all who voted for the new LMTC board for 2018/2019.  As president of the club this past year I held the last board meeting before turning it over to Brian Cox, your new president beginning July 1st. I have been honored to serve as your president and have confidence Brian will continue go lead the new board  with the same dedication and energy we have come to expect from our current board.  I want to thank our current board members for this past year’s efforts;

Katy Listug for serving as Vice President this past year.

Jody Iverson for her tireless work as treasurer, working with VIki Wood and our banking services, keeping our accounts up to date and accurate.

Barb Beedle who was secretary and worked through an operation to her shoulder to document our minutes. Barb may have to retire from the club due to injuries and we wish her well.

Tom Sidley who did a great job as membership chair, doing the important work of making sure member’s accounts are accurately reported and paid.

Denise Stefanson as social director for events this past year.

Nanette Herbuvaux as league chair coordinating and tracking league play.

Diane Bailey as premises working with our landscaper.

Here is your new board and congratulations to each new member of the board for the coming year:

Brian Cox                       President

Ernie Kovacs                  Vice President

Denise Stefanson           Secretary

Kathy Culver                   Treasurer

Bruce McLees                 Membership

Nanette Herbuvaux         League

Diane Bailey                    Premises

Emily Hill                          Social

We are fortunate to have such a competent and committed membership willing to contribute their time and efforts to maintain our wonderful club.  I look forward to working with everyone for the coming year.

Thank you for your attention to these changes.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

5/29

Dear LMTC Members -

The ballots for voting are now available at the clubhouse and on our website so please take time to cast your vote for our new board.  We have a great new slate of members that promises continued success for Lake Murray Tennis Club.
Also, please remember to write your membership number on the ballot to validate your vote.

Thank you for your vote.

Ernie Kovacs
President, LMTC

4/15

Dear LMTC Members:

We will be coming up on the 2018 elections for board members this summer and I want to ask if there are any club members interested in serving on the board if a position is open.  I have been president on and off for several years now and have enjoyed working with a number of volunteers both on the board and for special projects to maintain and/or improve our facilities.  I know not everyone fully appreciates the amount of work and dedication that goes in to making our club the outstanding tennis facility it is, as it serves so many tennis players in the East County.  I want everyone to know we have been very fortunate to have so many who care and serve in relative anonymity so that our overall

membership can enjoy high quality tennis facilities, given we are a private/public club that works hand in hand with the city to comply with our special use permit.

We have a burgeoning Juniors program, with outstanding instructors along with high quality instruction for players at all levels as well as serving as home court for San Diego Christian college each year.  There is a lot going on and plenty to be done which will require on-going volunteering to maintain our high standards for play.

I am asking that anyone who would consider joining the board, to consider replacing me as president. If so, please let me know so the board can begin working on replacements for the coming year.  If no one else is interested, our by-laws will have to be changed in order that I may continue to serve as your president.  There may be other positions open on the board as well that have yet to be determined so I can address any inquiries with current status..

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to getting feedback from anyone interest.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

2/11

Hi Everyone -

 

Thanks to you all who came out today on a beautiful Sunday to enjoy some fun tennis, great food and a chance to meet new members and friends.

 

A special thanks to Bob and Barb Beedle; year after year Bob quietly brings and assembles tents, tables, grilles and food and the club owes him a debt of gratitude for all his selfless support.  He spends his entire time grilling burgers, dogs and anything else that needs grilling.


Thank you also to Denise Stefanson, our Social chair, for planning and overseeing the event to make sure everything went smoothly.

 

The round robin format was a success thanks to Dan Emmerson, who arrives early each day to make sure our scheduling works out and he did a fine job of organizing the matches today.  We are thankful for Dan and Kathy who operate the club with such care and attention to every detail, helping to make our club a special place to play tennis.

 

The Board will be looking to plan another outing later in the year.  If anyone has any ideas on how to improve our socials please let me know.  Perhaps a Saturday rather than a Sunday might be preferable, maybe a different format.  Whatever you can think of, direct your thoughts to me and I will bring them up in our next meeting.  Our goal is to make this a fun event for as many members as possible.

 

Thanks again and hope to see you all again soon,

 

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

6/25

Hi Everyone -

If you are interested in reserving a seat for the Aviator’s opening night July 16th, 6pm at La Costa, I urge you to sign up but also make your check out to insure you have a ticket.  The Aviators require payment up front so you do not have a guaranteed seat until you pay.  The team is reporting heavy demand for

seating since Maria Sharapova has committed to playing on opening night, so the time to sign-up with a check is now.

Thanks for you attention.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

6/22

Dear LMTC Members

The San Diego Aviators are starting a new season July 16th, opening night at La Costa.   The team just announced the late addition of Maria Sharapova who will be playing that evening.  This adds an element of urgency to sign-ups at the clubhouse.  Kathy Emmerson will have a list for sign-ups and I urge anyone who wishes to attend, to sign up right away as the match will almost certainly be a sell-out.  I have designated optimal seating with a 20% group discount on each ticket for $30.40.

Thanks for your attention and I look forward to seeing you there on this exciting event at La Costa once again hosting this WTT event.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC

6/2

Dear LMTC Members:

The club has concluded its annual election for a new board and all the ballots have been counted.  Thank you to those who cast their votes and re-elected our new board for 2017-2018.  There was only one seat that was vacant, as Debi Adcock returned to full time employment and could not continue serving as League representative.

I want to thank Debi for her service and volunteer work for the past year; she will be missed.  In her stead, Nanette Herbuveaux has agreed to serve as League Representative for the new board and I thank her for her decision as I’m confident she will do a great job.

The rest of the board will continue to serve a second term and I wish to thank them all, along with our generous volunteers who make our tennis community operate smoothly and professionally.  This also applies to Emmerson Tennis, who manage the club to the highest standards possible for a public/private operation.

Finally, i want to recognize Graham Hilton, who serves as a handy-man par excellence, who saves our club a lot of money doing repairs throughout the year as well as Jack Lazard who is our volunteer print company that makes it possible to print out brochures and flyers throughout the year as needed.

I look forward to another successful year at Lake Murray Tennis Club and thank you to all our members for their support and contributions to all club activities.

Sincerely,

Ernie Kovacs

President, LMTC