Presidents Letter 2022

 Illinois District of American Turners

Welcome to ITC 2022!

We look forward to working together to create an active, engaging, fun, and memorable year for all who enjoy this unique and special environment. There are several important changes being implemented this year - and we encourage you to read this message thoroughly.

COVID

We are grateful that COVID-related rules have relaxed over the past several months which should allow ITC to host a more “typical” summer. Although COVID concerns have diminished, we encourage everyone to follow ever-changing state/local rules regarding masking and testing. Also, we respect all Turners and their guests who may choose to continue to wear a mask. Please be kind, respectful, and tolerant of others’ personal choices.

Camp Calendar

The 2022 Camp Calendar is enclosed. We also invite you to visit www.illinoisturners.org and add the address as a “favorite” to easily access Camp calendar information all summer long.

Cottage Owners Meetings – Sun, June 26^th, Sat, July 24^th, and Sun, Aug 21st

The Cottage Owners meetings serve as an opportunity to keep cottage owners informed about what is going on around Turner Camp. There is a lot of new information to share - please save the dates and plan to attend.

9:00 am start for New Cottage Owners - 10:00 am start for Existing Cottage Owners

Pool Cleanup/Work Days - Sat/Sun April 30^th & May 1^st - 9:00 am start

Many volunteers are needed to clean and prepare the pool and changing rooms for the 2022 season. Please consider helping. Gloves, waterproof shoes/boots are recommended. If you can bring a leaf blower and/or power-washer, that will help expedite the cleaning process.

Raths Cleanup/Work Days - Sat/Sun May 14^th &15^th – 9:00 am start

The ITC Work Weekend is intended for capable cottage owners to come to Turner Camp to help clean/prepare the Rathskeller and other common areas of Camp for the summer. Please put the Cleanup/Work Weekend dates in your calendar NOW and plan to attend.

ITC will provide the “task list” as well as the cleaning supplies. Please do your part by coming to the Rathskeller at ­­­­­­­­­­­­9:00 a.m. on either or both days to select tasks to get ITC ready for the Summer. Continental breakfast, beverages, snacks, lunch will be available to participants. Plus, you might make some new friends along the way!

Remember, there is always work to be done around Turner Camp. Tasks we don’t accomplish with volunteers will be outsourced to contractors. Ultimately, this effects our operating expenses, which then raises fees and ground leases – so please help.

Lastly, if you proceed to clean around your cottage after the Raths cleanup is finished, please put garbage and recyclable materials in the appropriate container. Do not stockpile large items around the dumpsters. If you are disposing large items (appliances/bedding /furniture), you must make arrangements with a local trash hauler or scavenger service.

Buildings and Grounds

Reminder, all exterior cottage construction projects must be reviewed/approved by the Buildings and Grounds Committee prior to starting your project. Failure to do so may result in fines and/or a termination of your ground lease. Please submit your project plan by completing a Cottage Improvement Request located on the Illinois District website: www.illinoisturners.org - under the Turner Camp/Building and Grounds dropdowns.

Rules and Regulations

It is the Cottage Owner’s responsibility (along with family members and guests) to review and follow the ITC Rules and Regulations to ensure a pleasant environment for all. Please take a moment to review your Rules and Regulations booklet and share it with members of your family. An electronic booklet is available at www.illinoisturners.org under the “About Turner Camp” drop down.

Communication / Feedback

We want your input and feedback!

The Illinois District has created an e-mail address for you to share your ideas, concerns and feedback with the ITC Camp Committee regarding any of the following:

The e-mail address is itcfeedback2@gmail.com. The inbox will be reviewed regularly with a response targeted for 48 hours to 72 hours. We will evaluate this new process and modify the system as appropriate. Notices regarding this process will be posted throughout Camp by June 1st.

For facility-related issues, you also have the option to go online to the District website: illinoisturners.org and click on the “Report a Facility Problem.” These requests are sent automatically to Buildings and Grounds for review.

Cottage Owner / Volunteering / Skill Set Database

Beginning 100+ years ago, Turner Camp was built and maintained primarily by volunteers. To protect our future, we encourage all cottage owners to continue this legacy whenever and wherever they can. Anything that is not done by volunteers at Camp results in your ground lease dollars leaving Camp to pay an outside company. The more we collectively do ourselves, the better off we are financially and socially.

We also hear from cottage owners that they are willing to volunteer but are uncertain how to get engaged in the process. We hope to resolve this by expanding the cottage owners’ list with email addresses and skill sets of our cottage owners and family members.

If a project comes up that needs a certain skill, we may reach out to individuals who have “self-identified” for that skill set to determine if they are available to provide assistance.

Please visit www.illinoisturners.org to locate and fill out the ITC Cottage Owners Information Form with your information. You can also fill out a paper copy of the form during the Coupon Book pick-up process.

Weekly Bulletin

Beginning this summer, the weekly bulletin will be e-mailed to all cottage owners for whom we have current e-mail addresses. For those without e-mail, the weekly bulletin will be posted in the common areas around Camp – and posted to the Turner Camp Facebook page and the Illinois District website: www.illinoisturners.org.

Youth Program

The Youth Committee is delighted that many of last year’s staff are returning and are eager to provide a fun, safe, and enjoyable Youth Program this summer. A few items worth noting:

Gymnastics-related activities will be scaled down going forward primarily due to changes in ITC’s insurance coverage. The Youth Staff has been advised and will modify program activities accordingly.

2022 Youth Program Fees:

• Member - Non-Cottage owner – $30/day

• Non-Member - $40/day

• Member – Seasonal Rate –$300

Program Changes:

Handicraft activities will be conducted during program time – depending on weather and other scheduled activities. Also, the Youth Committee will request donations of supplies and materials for handicraft activities.

Lastly, the Camp Committee requests that parents of children participating in the Water Show and/or Final Show assist with the set up and take-down of the backdrop(s) and other items for both of these events. The Youth Committee chairpersons will share details of the process with parents as these two big events draw near.

Interested in a special (private party) event at ITC (e.g. wedding, graduation, etc.)?

New for the 2022 Camp season: Mary Becker will serve as the Special Events Coordinator – and your point of contact - for any private event you would like to arrange at the Raths or around Camp.  For full contact information, and access to the Rental Agreement, please go to www.illinoisturners.org and look under the Special Events link.

Financial Overview

Annual Ground Lease Fees are calculated by forecasting operating costs using the prior year’s operating results, prorated share of projected property taxes (based on cottage size) and planned capital improvement/repair projects. Last year, we experienced significant increases in expenses, much of which gets passed on to Cottage Owners in their annual ground lease charge. The primary 2021 camp-related increases in expenses included:

• Employee wages/benefits/taxes increased $26K from prior year

• Insurance expense increased $7K from prior year

• Repairs and maintenance expense increased $9K from prior year

• Vehicle fuel increased $8K from prior year

• Insurance expense increased $5K from prior year

• Pool supplies increased $5K from prior year

• Admin and Miscellaneous expense increased $5K from prior year

Many costs (food, beverage, fuel, construction materials, labor) have continued to increase since the end of our last fiscal year end (Sept 30, 2021and will impact Camp operations this year. As a result, you will see minor increases in pricing for food & beverages, Youth Program, pool fees, etc. We will also continue to monitor our operational costs and streamline/eliminate expenses as much as possible for the benefit of all.

Despite these increases, ITC is still an incredible value to Cottage Owners and their families when considering the cost of vacations and day camps. Your support of the “revenue generating” activities at Camp (primarily food & beverage) is fundamental to the ongoing success of our operations. Please support the food and beverage options at the Rathskeller and Pool as much as possible.

We look forward to your participation of all aspects of Turner Camp in 2022.

Sincerely,

ITC Camp Committee