December Update to GCC's Reopening
Greetings GCC Community,
I hope this email finds you safe and sound. As we enter the holiday season, I am truly grateful for those who continue to help GCC despite our inability to curl and enjoy each other's company in person. As of today, GCC has received over $$48,000 in donations from members and other individuals!
Through these generous donations, GCC is able to dampen the financial impact of the anticipated seasonal loss of $150,000 due to routine building maintenance, taxes, insurance, and utilities. If you want to help GCC continue closing the financial gap, I invite you to donate whatever you feel comfortable using the link below:
Donate to the Granite Curling Club at https://curlingseattle.org/donate
These donations have never been more important. Last week, the GCC Board made the very difficult decision to postpone reopening until next season's start in September 2021. It was a decision that the Board didn't want to make, but felt was necessary given the COVID projections.
As you probably heard, last week Governor Inslee implemented
another round of COVID-19 restrictions throughout the state, including a shutdown of all indoor sporting activities (like curling). While the restrictions are scheduled to continue until December 14th, the current data from the UW Institute for Health and Metrics, COVID-19 Forecast Hub, and several other health organizations paint a bleak picture. Coupled with flu season, our rate of increase is pretty steep.
Early in the pandemic, the Board decided that two conditions must exist before GCC can reopen:
• Reopening had to be done in a safe manner in line with CDC, state, and county guidelines. This includes the implementation of various safety measures such as mandatory masks and limiting the number of players in the building. The application of these measures to GCC would be documented in reopening protocols that all members and guests would follow. (Over the last few months, the Board has been developing the protocols and will continue to adjust them up to reopening and as long as COVID-19 is of concern.)
• At a minimum, reopening had to be financially neutral. The cost for installing and maintaining the ice must be offset by a minimum season of 12 weeks and at least 50% (roughly 225 members) returning.
Using these two conditions as a guide, in addition to the guidance provided by numerous health agencies, we felt reopening this season wasn’t feasible.
Your donations will help ensure that the closure does not have significant lasting financial impacts. When we return, donations will allow us to consider the pandemic more as a time-out from curling, rather than a sizeable drain on resources.
I am thankful for your continued patience and understanding during this very difficult time. I really look forward to the day when we can get back to our sport and people that we all love. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to share your thoughts with me and the entire GCC Board at board@curlingseattle.org. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best wishes,
Lori Markham
President, Granite Curling Club Board
president@curlingseattle.org
Pronouns: she, her, hers