FEBRUARY, 2021
www.diamondheadms.org
VOL. 38, NO. 02
President’s Report By Ernie Knobloch
urricane Zeta caused approximately $125,000 in damage to the clubhouse when a section of the gable roof in the rear of the building was blown out. The major damage occurred in the 19th Hole. Since the 19th Hole accounts for about 45% of the total income from food and beverage for the club, we’ve been working to have this area up and running as soon as pos sible. The changes being made were suggested by the GolfMac report in 2018, the Focus Group, who studied the layout of the bar, and other suggestions made by resi dents. The ultimate goal is to make the clubhouse more in viting to a wider range of cus tomers and provide better serv ice at the same time. One thing that you’ll notice immediately is that the old din ing room is now divided into two sections by a permanent wall. One section will be added to the old 19th Hole and the other section, which includes the fi replace, will become the quiet dining area. The quiet dining area can be enlarged by using the Lakeview Room when needed. In an effort
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to reduce the cost of repairs, some members of the Board and several residents volunteered to move all furniture, bottles, and a refrigerator from the 19th Hole to the Emerald Room. In addition, POA facilities management is doing some of the work. The original double doors leading into the 19th Hole have been removed, refinished, and rehung to separate the new, improved 19th Hole from the quiet dining area. Flooring in the new 19th Hole is being replaced with a com mercial laminate. The old bar is being changed to an island with seating on both sides. The areas of wood above the bar, all ruined in Zeta, have been removed so that, as you walk down the hall from the front entrance, you can see thru the bar and actually see the patio and driving range. Several nonweight bearing walls have been removed to help enlarge the 19th Hole and im prove flow of serving customers. The changes being made should increase income from the 19th Hole and at the same time, pro vide a suitable area for quiet dining. The majority of TV’s will be remounted when construc tion ends. A resident who produced several of the large images previ
ously on the club walls, is in the process of taking pictures of some of our largest and old oak trees. These images will be trans formed into large pictures which will be hung on several walls. For safety reasons, the area is closed due to construction. However, you can look thru the back glass walls to get a clearer idea of the progress. The dead line for this article was January 13, 2021, and construction time is estimated to be around six weeks. During construction time, the old 19th Hole has been moved to the Emerald 1 area and entrance into that is thru a door close to the croquet lawn or thru the hall that begins under the drive thru area on the right side of the building. As long as construction con tinues, you cannot reach the 19th Hole by using the main hall since you would have to walk thru the construction area. By the time you read this article, hopefully, a significant amount of the work will be completed. The patio area is open as usual and the possibility of a movable outside bar is being considered. The Admin Committee is awaiting a final draft of an agree ment with Elliott homes. Elliott homes will NOT be burning the
debris piles that have resulted in the initial development. The Consolidation/Deconsolidation Fee schedule is being reviewed. The concern in making it easier to deconsolidate lots is that the results will be smaller lots and loss of additional green space. The Circuit Court ruled in favor of the POA and is allowing the POA to continue collection ef forts of unpaid dues in Justice Court. Repairs to the walkways and the boat launch approach at the marina are ongoing. A new con tract for wild hog removal in the airport area was approved and has resulted in additional wild hogs being removed. The com mittee is also working on appli cations to bid to replace piers 1 and 2. A grant that the POA previous ly received from the State of Mississippi to help dredge the main canal was never used be cause no bids were received to do the work. The same grant money has now been approved to use to help rebuild the piers. Several changes have been made in the Tennis Adminis tration area. There are several upgrades to the area and new activities are being planned to increase play there.
DEADLINE FOR MARCH ISSUE OF DHNEWS IS FEBRUARY 10TH.
In the golf area, all the dam aged trees have been removed or trimmed. The golf cart rental lease is expiring, and a new lease has been approved. The new lease is with EZ Go and each cart will use lithium batteries. Lithium batteries reduce mainte nance cost as well as charging time and costs. An increase in individual golf play has occurred in recent months, probably due to the fact that golf, as an in dividual sport, can be played without significant Covid re strictions. The club us offering a wide variety of food related activities ranging from Date Nights to specialty drink activities to cook ing stations on Thursday nights, etc. If you haven’t tried one of the events, consider trying one. You might be pleasantly sur prised. COVID restrictions continue to reduce the number of rentals for parties, weddings, etc. causing a significant loss of revenue for the POA. If you haven’t signed up to receive eblasts from the POA, consider doing that so that you are aware of the various activ ities that are occurring on a regular basis. I hope to see you around the club in the near future.