Greetings fellow curlers!

While curling may not be front of mind this time of year, recently our Club held its 2023 Annual General Meeting (AGM).
2022/23 was a banner year and over the course of the meeting, multiple presenters shared a few of our many achievements along with a sneak peek at some of our plans for the coming years.  Here are some of the highlights that I believe you will find of interest:

Achievements:  After experiencing somewhat stagnant growth due to Covid, we experienced a very strong year in a number of key areas, including:

• Our membership has grown to 263 curlers
• Our Junior program had a bounce-back year with over 200 youths participating, highlighted by the Junior bonspiel, with 12 teams competing including 9 from out-of-town
• We held ten Bonspiels over the course of the season, with more than 400 participants
• We offered three Learn to Curl sessions,  with over 70 new curlers participating, many of whom subsequently joined one of our leagues
• All these great accomplishments resulted in our core revenue being up $53,000 or 38%
• Our capital fund balance at the end of the year was $233,000

Capital Expenditures: We continue to invest responsibly in projects that will improve our facility and ice:

• $500k in capital expenditures since 2019, including: including new HVAC in the ice shed & building; new roof; new lighting in ice shed;  lounge/bar makeover
• Additional $130k in capital investments this off-season, including a new ice technicians shed, Jet Ice filtration system,  new soffits & facia,  kitchen makeover & new dishwasher, masonry repair
• Our goal is to have a fully accessible facility within the next three seasons. This includes: fully renovated, accessible change-rooms and washrooms;  installation of an elevator with access to all three levels; new front entrance with automatic double doors; new portico covering the main entry; entire building exterior painted
• To help fund this final phase, we are launching an exciting new program called Access 125.  Watch for more details in the coming days

Membership Rates: Good news - there will be no change to Membership rates for the 2023/24 season. 

Volunteer Awards:  The following individuals were recipients of the 2022/23 Volunteer Recognition Awards:

• Volunteers of the Year: Val Kittner, Dennis Roland, Marilyn Kreutzer, Dale Heiydt, Sue Bionda, Martha Lapp, Larry Hope, Richard Tousignant
• Lifetime Achievement Award:  Nicole Dutkiewicz
• To read more about our recipients and their contributions, please click here

Board of Directors: The following were elected to your 2023/24 Board of Directors:
     Ron Kreutzer (President)
     Mary Ellen Hope (Secretary)
     Jim Woodworth (Treasurer)
     Bob Gibb (Operations)
     Nancy Houle (Membership)
     Richard Tousignant (Sponsorship)
     Doug McKnight (Communications)
     Phil Ross (Marketing and Rentals)
     Lynn Southcott  (Volunteers and Bar)
     Dave Rigby (Bonspiels)
     Lou D’Alessandro (Health & Safety)

As you can see, last season was a very successful year for our club and we have a lot of momentum behind us.  A sincere thanks to all of you who contributed to these outstanding results and I am looking forward to another great season.  If you are interested in reviewing the slide presentation presented at the meeting, click here.
As always, should you have any questions, concerns, or suggestions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Ron Kreutzer
HCC President
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