Page 5 - Kwasind May 2020 issue

MAY 2020 MEMBER NEWS • 5
General Manager & Chief Operating Officer’s Message
Neil Rooney, CCM CCE neil.rooney@rcyc.ca
The Club has been closed for over six weeks, and I know that we are all eager to get back to our normal routines, and back to the Club. You are probably thinking: When can I get to the Island? When will I be able to prep my boat for launch? How will I get over there? When will my boat launch? Who will be launched first? What will the calendar of events look like? Are we even going to have a sailing season this year? When can I work out? When can I get back on a court?
We wish that we could answer these questions and the many more that you undoubtedly have with 100% certainty. The reality is, as of right now, we can’t. Yet, regardless of this uncertainty, we are still forging ahead. We are planning our season (albeit condensed) and planning for a phased opening over a period of weeks, that we hope can start as early as mid-May. Keep in mind, the start date is speculative as it relies on information from the government and the City of Toronto that we currently do not have. And yet, we remain optimistic. We are excitedly anticipating any loosening of restrictions that will allow us to return to the Club, in whatever capacity that may be. We are working on an “Opening Protocol” that allows us to envision the process and sequence of timing for a phased opening of City Station, the Island, the City Clubhouse and the availability of their amenities and activities regardless of the actual start date. Of course, this process involves many assumptions. But we thought we would share our thinking so far and (hopefully) our excitement over actually opening up again:
Island Access: Opening of the Island will be authorized by the City of Toronto and or the Province. We are anticipating some sort of loosening of rules by mid-May and that we will be allowed to start accessing the property around that time. That would accommodate two to three weeks of boat preparation and then launch over the month of June. However, getting to the Island...
Transportation: Assuming we can utilize the Kwasind, Hiawatha, Fast Ferry (pontoon) and possibly Elsie D, social distancing will be required. We have determined the social distancing restricted capacities could be 15 – 18 on the launches and about 6 each for Elsie D and the Fast Ferry. Given the restricted numbers, we are considering a booking system, just like a flight, for both the City Station to Island and Island to City Station trips. We are also investigating other sources of transportation to and from the Island such as a water taxi contract.
Island Clubhouse and Other Buildings: So we can get you there, now what? We expect to open buildings initially to provide washrooms and will strategically identify which buildings will open and when. As previously shared, once we open a washroom, we then must schedule regular cleaning and sanitization of those washrooms, so we have to balance the number of available washrooms with the number of available staff. Similarly, Food and Beverage services will be guided by City of Toronto protocols for the delivery of prepared food so we anticipate limited basic offerings in the Oven’s Room to start, likely prepared ‘take-out’ style offerings. Seating capacity will be also be reduced to accommodate social distancing.
Boat Launch: We are planning on an accelerated launch schedule this year, which means other services normally offered will be restricted in order to ensure that we get as many boats in the water as soon as possible. Mark and his
team are planning for long days over this compressed launch schedule, as this will be the priority.
The launch process will require a schedule although it will need to be flexible in order to allow for different types of boats such as wooden boats or those who will need to quickly participate in upcoming events that require mast- stepping, as well as those boats that are mast-up and require little to no services.
As you know (and I’m learning), we maintain a ‘ready- now’ list, so once a Member has indicated that their boat is good to go and that they do not need to be present to proceed, we can usually get the boat launched and towed to the Member’s slip in between launching / rigging other scheduled boats.
In terms of the Big Boat Launch, we have priority with the crane company so re-booking the large crane shouldn’t be a problem. The challenge will be our ability to maintain social distancing during this process, so timing will likely be determined by that. For more information on this please also reference Mark Turuk’s update in the April 28th Hiawatha.
Calendar of Events: As previously reported we are assuming a July 1st start to the season, so the calendar has been re- organized to run from July 1st to approximately October 15th. Some events have been cancelled, some re-scheduled and some amalgamated. We are working hard to take advantage of time we will have to ensure a successful 2020 season. The revised calendar will be made available as soon as it is finalized.
City Clubhouse: In anticipation of opening, we are developing plans to allow safe access and social distancing throughout the City Clubhouse. This will include mapping out traffic flows, space capacity limits, and a single-entry point with registration so we can monitor the number of people in the building at any given time. Similarly, we will need to monitor usage in the Fitness Center, courts, and swimming pool to ensure social distancing. We are developing enhanced cleaning and sanitizing protocols for all areas. Food and Beverage will be limited initially to the Galley only and tables will be set up to accommodate social distancing.
Summary: While there is no reference manual for this crisis, I have witnessed first-hand how hard everyone is working to make this transition as smooth as possible. We remain optimistic but also realistic in our planning ahead. This process is going to be a challenge, but it is not insurmountable. However, we can’t do it alone. We are going to need your cooperation and support during this process, and ultimately you will determine its success.
Please keep in mind that the above outline might change due to protocols determined by the City of Toronto and the Province. But we promise to keep you informed and will advise of any specifics as soon as we are able to.
In the meantime, I would like to reiterate how much we appreciate your patience, understanding and support of the Club, the Board and of Management during this time. You are the driving force that is pushing us forward, and keeping our spirits high. We hope that you are staying safe and healthy, and remember, soon we’ll be back on the water, in the gym, on the courts and enjoying the Island. This too shall pass.