Chief Executive’s Message
Dear Member,
As the autumn rains are now falling we are trying our best to complete the various projects we have ongoing but it seems the weather and events out of our control are working against us at the moment. Below is a progress update:
Airhalls One and Two
Airhall One is two weeks late on its installation as we had programmed it to go up mid October. Covair Domes have had a backlog of installations ,combining with adverse rain and winds of the last two weeks, which has delayed our installation until today and tomorrow. This has been very frustrating as we have needed the extra indoor courts over the last fortnight due to the inclement weather.
We are trying to erect Airhall One to be ready for use from this Saturday even with dehumidifiers in operation to suck out any moisture trapped in the court surface. These will be in place for a few days so I apologise in advance for the extra noise caused as a result.
Airhall Two
The dome was installed a few weeks ago by Covair so that Trevor May Ltd could proceed with painting the new acrylic courts in a dry environment. Dehumidifiers are present in Airhall Two to try and dry out the paint surface ready for use but again this is taking longer to dry than we anticipated.
We are expecting the courts to be open for play by the end of next week. Members have asked if the Airhall is at risk from the fireworks display tomorrow evening. We hope not although it will depend upon the prevailing wind direction on what risk we have. We have taken precautions to remove any rogue fireworks that may land on or close to the Airhall.
The power unit keeping the Airhall inflated will be surrounded by a fence and noise dampeners will be installed inside the fence. Artificial grass for easy drainage and maintenance will be installed on the south side for spectator seating in the summer months when the Airhall is removed.
Croquet lawns 1-3
Peter Bradburn has designed a scheme of planters on the north side of the Airhall to help mask the view in the winter for croquet players. These will be installed after the works have been completed and he has also ordered frost covers for the lawns and purchased a second UV light rig to ensure that we can have the maximum playing hours for croquet on these lawns when it becomes much colder.
We thank everyone for their patience while these works are completed.
Golf Protective Netting
The recent gales unfortunately blew down the protective netting around the 12th green. The fencing installation is under warranty so will replaced with much longer ground screws to withstand future gales. The fence posts have been taken away to be painted green before being reinstated.
The posts around the 10th tee have been installed and when the netting arrives on site it will be installed straightaway so that the new 10th tee can be used. These posts are 20m high next to the tee and on the perimeter of the golf course to prevent balls entering Priory Lane from the 10th hole. A car windscreen was struck and smashed recently by a stray golf ball from our course (luckily resulting in no serious damage) so this scheme designed by our Course Architect and approved by our safety consultants, while unsightly to some, is so important to have in place to ensure we can keep the hole open in its present format.
Health Club Improvements
We will be opening the new Accessible Changing Room next week for family use. Guidelines on its usage will be communicated to all Health Club users via Reception and a notice next week. The new lobby between the indoor and outdoor pools will be open next week also after some minor snagging items have been completed.
We have received very good feedback on the newly refurbished Steam Room. Again thank you for your patience as this project slightly overran on timescale due to availability of the fittings.
Outdoor Pool Closure over Christmas
We have adjusted the Outdoor Pool opening hours to 7am -7pm weekdays and 7am -4pm at weekends up to 11th December . We will then need to close the Outdoor Pool from Monday 12th December for its annual maintenance programme over the Christmas period and it is scheduled to re-open on 4th January. The Health Club Committee will recommend to the Board this month what reduced opening hours should be in operation from January to the end of March considering Member environmental concerns and the effect of closure on our activity programme for both pools. These decisions will be communicated in early December.
Fireworks Spectacular – Friday 4th November
Lastly it is good to see our very popular Fireworks Night returning after a two year absence. Fingers crossed it is a dry evening and the whole family are able to enjoy the fireworks, food and toy stalls plus the entertainment laid on afterwards for the young children. It is one of their special nights of the year. Tickets are still available to buy in advance from Reception on 0208 480 4200
Best wishes
Marc