The Committee’s operating guidelines, as stated by the Bylaws, are “The Committee shall be advisory to the General Manager and Board of Directors with respect to 1) financial reporting; 2) financial operations; 3) budgeting; and 4) audit.” Consistent with these guidelines, the Committee’s primary activities for the past year include:
I. Financial Reporting
A. Review of monthly financial reports prepared by the Club’s Accounting staff. The Committee receives accurate monthly financial information in a timely manner and in a format that supports the needs of the Committee.
B. Monthly monitoring of the Club’s financial condition. The Committee has reviewed and reported on the Club’s financial condition to the Board of Directors on a monthly basis.
II. Financial Operations
A. Monitoring of management expenditures, which includes budget adherence oversight.
B. For the year ending 12/31/2022, operating expenses exceeded budget in the following areas: G&A - $93K, Golf Course Operations - $48K, Insurance - $35K, and Legal Fees –$73K. Non-Controllable increased operating costs due to inflation as well as un-budgeted transition expenses related to Ken McDonald’s retirement and expenses related to the hiring of our new General Manager are of note.
1. Initiation fee income remained strong in 2022 at $1.9MM. As of 12/31/2022, there were 18 individuals on the full member waitlist.
2. Liquidity and use of cash. As of 12/31/2022, our revolving credit debt balance was $3,174,000 with an associated borrowing capacity line of $6,026,000. A decision was made in 2022 to use cash on-hand to pay down the revolver more quickly saving the Club over $400K in interest expense.
3. Capital Savings Fund Unapproved Balance. As of 12/31/2022, the balance of accrued CSF dollars that have not yet been approved to be spent on
2 B U D G E T A N D F I N A N C E C O M M I T T E E A N N U A L R E P OR T A P R I L 2 0 2 2 – MA R C H 2 0 2 3
Capital Project(s) was $2,190,854. These funds continue to be accrued and should the members vote in favor to spend these funds, we will simply reborrow against our available irrevocable line of credit.
C. Analysis of financial performance of the Club, with the goal of operating the Club at a breakeven position. For this analysis, the Club excludes initiation fees and those operating expenses associated with new membership activity, as well as non-recurring other income
D. For the year ending 12/31/2022, cash flow from operations was a loss of -$516K vs a budgeted loss of -$321K. Primary drivers are higher than budgeted expenses noted above as well as lower than budgeted banquet revenues as well as lower than budgeted cart revenues. Revenue misses were partly a result of the golf course fully being open for only 8 months in 2022. Our Club Grand Re-opening was April 23, 2022.
E. Monitoring the adherence to the review policy for major Club contracts with vendors to ensure an oversight review process and assist club management. Such areas primarily related to insurance and banking.
1. For the year ending 12/31/2022, contracts of materiality noted are:
a. GM search firm KK&W; and,
b. Litigation settlement agreement(s)
F. Capital Improvements.
1. The Club spent $468K on capital improvements in 2022 Primary expenditures were as follows:
a. Golf Course Equipment Lease buyout: $190K
b. Facility Emergency repairs: $94K
c. Playground Improvements: $25K
d. Pool Umbrellas and Chairs: $38K
e. Front Security Gate: $42K
III. Budgeting
A. A budget for 2023 has been prepared by the General Manager and his Department Heads with guidelines recommended by the Committee. It has been reviewed and approved by this Committee, and was subsequently approved by your Board. We are budgeting a negative operating cash flow of $422,000. This budget includes two material non-recurring items
1. G&A expenses related to hiring of our new General Manager; and,
3
2. Major property tree trimming expenses.
3. In addition, it should be noted that the current approved 2023 budget reflects a dues increase assumption in 2023 equivalent to the annual CPI index, which is the maximum allowed under our Club’s current Bylaws. The Finance Committee has recommended to your Board that a 2023 dues increase (higher than the budgeted amount) be proposed and voted on by the members in lieu of the typical annual CPI increase. This is necessary because the CPI has not adequately reflected the true operating cost increases we have seen over the past 2 hyper-inflation years. Should membership vote positively for a higher dues increase, this will shrink the 2023 budgeted negative cash flow.
IV. Audit and Financial Health
A. The Club’s financial statements are audited by Pannell Kerr Forster. The Committee participates in the audit process through an understanding of the scope and results of the audit. This enables the Committee to make a recommendation to the Board of Directors with respect to the annual audited financial statements of the Club, as well as any other necessary actions that result from the audit. The audit procedures for 2022 include a meeting with Cody Womack, Finance Chairman
B. The Club remains in a strong financial position.
Through the commitment of Club Staff and Committee Members, we were able to meet our obligations as well as continuing to make improvements to the Club’s reporting and advise the Board of Directors on matters of importance. Everyone’s time and efforts are truly appreciated.
Cody Womack, Budget and Finance Committee Chairman
Michael Tsang, Vice-Chairman
Committee Members:
Jody Batdorf Joe Franz Michael Tsang
Robby Martin Ryan Loving Jayson Baird
Walter Beard Susan Davis Ed Sobash
4
BraeBurn Country Club Selected Financial Information
BraeBurn Country Club Selected Financial Information
The following financial information as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 and for the years then ended have been derived from the Club's audited financial statements, which can be found on the Club’s website. A complete copy of the audited financial statements can also be obtained upon request from the General Manager.
The following financial information as of December 31, 2022 and December 31, 2021 and for the years then ended have been derived from the Club's audited financial statements, which can be found on the Club’s website. A complete copy of the audited financial statements can also be obtained upon request from the General Manager.
5
2022 2021 Statement of Income Activities - Selected Data Income 8,900,863 $ 5,865,469 $ Operating expenses 10,431,842 7,832,831 Income (loss) before interest and depreciation (1,530,979) (1,967,362) Interest Expense -Depreciation Expense 1,080,922 654,064 Loss from operations before other income (2,611,901) (2,621,426) Initiation Fees 1,900,744 2,028,532 Assessments 1,937,163 1,833,162 Interest and Other income 2,114 21,560 Loss on dispostion of propery and equipment 11,163 (2,332,666) Net income (loss) 1,239,283 $ (1,070,838) $ Statement of Financial Position - Selected Data Cash and investments 1,520,695 $ 1,630,257 $ Working capital 1,338,667 1,390,942 Long Term Capital Project Savings Fund 214,806 1,518,136 Property and equipment, net of accum depreciation14,357,692 14,355,427 Line of Credit 3,906,412 6,499,034 Net assets - member's equity 12,004,753 $ 10,765,471 $ Statement of Cash Flows - Selected Data Cash flows provided by operating activities (1,677,929) $ (1,873,471) $ Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities (841,356) $ (8,027,547) $ Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities 1,106,393 $ 10,099,358 $ Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents(1,412,892) $ 198,340 $ Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 3,148,393 $ 2,950,053 $ Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 1,735,501 $ 3,148,393 $
2022 2021 Statement of Income Activities - Selected Data Income 8,900,863 $ 5,865,469 $ Operating expenses 10,431,842 7,832,831 Income (loss) before interest and depreciation (1,530,979) (1,967,362) Interest Expense -Depreciation Expense 1,080,922 654,064 Loss from operations before other income (2,611,901) (2,621,426) Initiation Fees 1,900,744 2,028,532 Assessments 1,937,163 1,833,162 Interest and Other income 2,114 21,560 Loss on dispostion of propery and equipment 11,163 (2,332,666) Net income (loss) 1,239,283 $ (1,070,838) $ Statement of Financial Position - Selected Data Cash and investments 1,520,695 $ 1,630,257 $ Working capital 1,338,667 1,390,942 Long Term Capital Project Savings Fund 214,806 1,518,136 Property and equipment, net of accum depreciation14,357,692 14,355,427 Line of Credit 3,906,412 6,499,034 Net assets - member's equity 12,004,753 $ 10,765,471 $ Statement of Cash Flows - Selected Data Cash flows provided by operating activities (1,677,929) $ (1,873,471) $ Cash flows provided by (used in) investing activities (841,356) $ (8,027,547) $ Cash flows provided by (used in) financing activities 1,106,393 $ 10,099,358 $ Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents(1,412,892) $ 198,340 $ Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year 3,148,393 $ 2,950,053 $ Cash and cash equivalents at end of year 1,735,501 $ 3,148,393 $
It was an important year for golf at BraeBurn, with the course restoration setting up the Club for long term success. Here are some of the highlights from 2022:
• 2022 Golf Operations totaled over $2mm in gross revenue, which was 8.9% better than budget, and Golf Operations expenses of $1.45mm, which was 5.7% over budget.
• We finished 2022 with 33,693 live rounds played. This is up from 30,681 rounds during 2019, which is our last comparable year except for 2020 (COVID), which produced 41,460 rounds
• Guest fees reached over $467k as we proudly showed off our new course. We hosted a total of 4,051 guests, even with restrictions in place from January through April of 2022.
• Golf Inc. Magazine’s recognition for Renovation of the Year Award.
• The Golf Staff has expanded, and we welcomed new additions to the team, which will allow us to improve and expand our service levels and programming. This includes the launch of our Beginning Ladies Program, which currently has 30+ participants. Additionally, the expansion of our ever growing Junior Golf Program will now include a Tournament Training program, which will target our more advanced players, as well as the continuous building of our Tiny Tigers program for our little ones.
• Online Lesson Booking Page was created to allow members to easily request a lesson with any of our Professional staff.
• We upgraded to the TrackMan 4. This state of art technology measures club speed, launch, and ball-flight.
• For 2023, the club will now be open on the following Federal Holidays: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, President’s Day, Juneteenth, Columbus Day, & Veterans Day.
• Improved our tee time lottery system by implementation of a weighted lottery system which utilizes of a calculated points system.
Both the WGA and MGA have an active tournament schedule. We highly encourage you get involved and participate in these events.
6 G O L F C O M M I T T E E A N N U A L R E P OR T A P R I L 2 0 2 2 – MA R C H 2 0 2 3
In closing, we want to thank our entire Golf Staff for all their hard work. It has been an incredible year, the future of BraeBurn is bright! See you at the club…
Jim Kinahan
Golf Committee Chairman
Committee Members:
Jeff Applebaum
Matt Moake
Co-Golf Committee Chairman
Carl Bassewitz
Jason Berryman Robin Bobbitt
Chris Calderwood
David Ferguson
Louann Gallagher Dr. Adrienne Hwang
Stephen Jurgella Sally Mason
James Sivco Cody Womack
7
January 2021: Earthwork began.
May 2021: 1st roll of sod installed on driving range.
June 2021: 1st greens planted.
It has been an absolute pleasure to serve as your Golf Course Superintendent the past two years. I believe we have made great strides over the past year and are getting better each day. Many of us have heard the saying, “The days are long, but the years are short.” Not only does this ring true as I watch my kids sprout up like Virginia Button Weed, seemingly overnight, but also rings true since we began the course renovation January 2021.
September 2021: Last greens planted.
October 2021: Completion of Northbridge sod planting.
December 2021: Completion of Zoysia sod planting and soft opening of holes 1-12,16.
April 23, 2022: Grand opening of all 18 holes.
As you can clearly see from the timeline, the golf course has really only had one growing season to mature. That’s amazing! I have great optimism for the future as we begin our second growing season this Spring. With maturity comes; greater turf density, better lies, more receptive greens, enhanced landscape features and arbor care, better overall course drainage, and more focused and detailed maintenance team Members.
We were the first golf course to install Northbridge Bermudagrass in the Houston market and I assure you we will not be the last. I am very pleased with the overall performance, especially its ability to recover quickly from colder temperatures. The Zeon Zoysia grass, underneath the trees and shaded areas, is a great compliment to the Northbridge and is also performing well. BraeBurn has definitely struggled with these shaded areas in recent history. The Zeon Zoysia has proven to be a great choice to tackle these tough areas. As you know from reading Mr. Sivco’s December Bagpiper article, BraeBurn embarked on its most extensive tree care initiative in recent course history. This investment addressed tree removal of dead or dying trees, removal of dangerous branches, root pruning, and most importantly canopy thinning and lifting for turf protection and greater turf density. This initiative also came with the added benefit of opening up course views, speeding up play, and enhanced shot selection. We will continue to protect this investment by infusing approximately $70,000 into the operating budget to ensure that we maintain the current standard regarding tree care and turf protection.
8 G O L F C O U R S E MA I N T E N A N C E A N N U A L R E P OR T A P R I L 2 0 2 2 - MA R C H 2 0 2 3
Our Miniverde Bermuda greens are maturing quite nicely and definitely protect par! Overall, roots are getting deeper and becoming more fibrous. As previously discussed, greens take 2-3 growing seasons to fully mature and become more receptive. As we enter our 2nd growing season, I am noticing a slightly more receptive surface. One indicator is deeper and a more pronounced ball mark. Please continue to repair yours and three more! I am looking forward to the greens being in great condition for the 2023 golfing season!
This past year the golf course maintenance team worked diligently on enhancing landscape features and installing additional drainage. We created several new landscape beds and installed over 6000 individual plants. The overall theme and low maintenance plant selection has received very positive feedback and proved to be a complement to our new course design. Be on the lookout for several new landscape beds this coming year. The team has also worked diligently, this Winter, on installing an additional 1500 feet of drainage. We essentially expanded or elongated the existing drainage system to encompass more square footage so that the drain tile would affect a greater surface and capture more potential wet areas. During the construction 31,000 ft. of fairway and 27,000 ft. of storm drainage was installed. Remember, we will be working on and adding additional drainage in perpetuity. Or, if you have watched the movie The Sandlot, FOR-EV-ER!
Another exciting accomplishment, this past year, is achieving a fully staffed golf course maintenance team. From 2021-2022 we increased hourly staff wages by 13% and another 6% from 2022-2023. For all of 2021 & 2022 we only had 5 eligible, but not great, applicants. In the past 4 months we have had over 8 eligible applicants and have had to turn several away. It is a great accomplishment and a big deal to be competitive in the marketplace, attract new talent, and be able to retain already talented team Members. We will still have some work to do to ensure that we remain competitive, but we are on the right track!
In conclusion, I am extremely excited about the upcoming year and future of golf course conditions! On March 13th, Doug Black, a Golf Digest rating panelist played the course and sent a quick note with his feedback. Doug wrote, “All I can say about BraeBurn is what a “Hidden Gem”. I was telling an existing Member that your course has to be one of the best manicured courses I have played in a very long time. Absolutely perfect. I also thought the layout was terrific. I hit every club in my bag. I hope it’s okay for me to leave a note in my rating for any of our panelist to reach out to you if they are in your area. You need a minimum number of rounds to qualify for best in state and I think BraeBurn should be in that category. I hope to one day soon have the opportunity to play another round at your great club.” Although far from perfect,
9
it is exciting to see how the recent capital and operational infusion of resources are paying dividends on a daily basis as we continue to strive to be one of the premier golf clubs in Houston.
Greens Committee
Jeff Applebaum Reed Barrett Scott Barrett
Michael Bernick Robin Bobbitt Chris Calderwood
Michael Casarella Zac Cayce Dave Chapman
Steve Croxson Monte Edlund Jimmy Elam
Jim Frank Fernando Granda Peter Harding
Roger Horton Elbert Johnson Charlotte Jones
Jim Kinahan
Erich Kleine Jim Marvin
Sally Mason Patrick McElligott Drew Morris
Scott Probst Chester Rose Maria Rosenfield
Kevin Salmon Peter Selber James Sivco
John O. Smith Truman Touchstone John Van De Wiele
Matt Williams Cody Womack Terry Yates
See You on the Course!
10
Aaron Engelhard Golf Course Superintendent
The House and Social Committee has worked diligently in the past year on many Member-focused goals, tasks, and social activities, each intended to enhance the Member experience at BraeBurn. As a result, the Club has offered many new social events, for both adults and families, for membership engagement and enjoyment. Special dining events and activities were offered, and most were wellattended or sold out. Easter Brunch, Mother’s Day Brunch, Thanksgiving brunch, Wine Club dinners, Spirit Tastings, Ladies Association luncheons/programs, Bingo Nights, Lobster Nights, Chef Pedro’s special dinner events, the Holiday Cocktail Party, and Breakfast with Santa are just a few of the activities and events that were offered.
The Committee and Club Staff worked throughout the year to further improve and enhance the Member experience and make BraeBurn a great place to come with family and friends. The Committee worked in cooperation with the Membership Committee and Club staff on additional updates and improvements to the Club’s website and smartphone app that were launched in 2022. Additionally, the Committee continued to work in cooperation with Denis Wood and the Wine Club to initiate additional changes and improvements, including increasing the number of Wine Club members, and implementing a lottery system for Wine Club dinner reservations. The Committee, working in consort with the Board of Directors, created a Wine Club Committee that reports to the House Committee each month. Although additional Members were able to be added to the Wine Club during the year, the Committee will continue to work with the Wine Club Committee on future necessary adjustments to further address the Wine Club membership waitlist issue.
Other major initiatives accomplished by the House Committee include:
1) Establishment of the Lounge Bar three evenings per week, to provide a relaxing and enjoyable space for Members to enjoy cocktails and a wonderful appetizer menu. The Committee is currently working on the acquisition of appropriate furniture for the Lounge Bar, along with additional wine storage, and hopes to soon offer live music on designated dates.
2) Completed improvements to the playground area, including the addition of fencing and a shade canopy around and over the playground area and the cleanup of areas in and around the pool area. Painting and other improvements are planned for the pool area restrooms prior to this year’s pool season
3) The Committee has worked to develop and finalize much needed updates and improvements to the Club’s Bylaws for submission to the Membership for approval.
11 H O U S E A N D S O CI A L C O M MI T T E E A N N U A L R E P OR T A P R I L 2 0 2 2 - MA R C H 2 0 2 3
4) The House Committee also initiated a pilot childcare program, which provided a place several days a week for Members to use while on Club property for a workout in the Fitness Room, a round of golf or a game of tennis, or just have lunch with friends; however, this was not well-utilized by Members and is currently being re-evaluated to look at other options.
While my service on the Board is coming to an end in April, I know the goals and focus of the House Committee for the upcoming year will remain on continuing to identify and offer creative and fun activities for Member engagement and enjoyment, along with continued improvements and enhancements to the Wine Club, as well as a focus on menu offerings both in the Demaret Grille and at the pool.
My deepest thanks to all of those Members who provided their time, effort, and expertise to serve on the Committee and helped to make this year a success and to the amazing BraeBurn staff who work tirelessly every day to help make BraeBurn a wonderful place to spend time with family and friends Nothing could have been accomplished without the help, time, and input of all the Members of the Committee and the Club staff. I have very much enjoyed my time serving on the Board, and as chair of the House Committee hope that we have made BraeBurn an even better place! Thanks to the Membership for your support and for giving us the opportunity to serve.
Robin S. Bobbitt, Chair
Committee Members:
Charlotte Baird
Jason Berryman
Peter Gryska
Brenda Lanza
Christina Moore
Darryl Shields
Dr. Kelly Larkin, Vice Chair
Carl Bassewitz
Elizabeth Dow
Margaret Henrikson
Cecile Marcoux
Maria Rosenfield
Robert Topp
Mike Bebczuk
Susan Davis
Dr. Adrienne Hwang
Sally Mason
Greg Schneider
12
Throughout 2022, the Membership Committee accomplished several important objectives, all of which were focused on managing prosperity. Through refined vetting and approval processes for prospective Members, the new comprehensive Membership approval procedures ensure applications are thoroughly screened and reviewed, sponsors interviewed, and the Club’s due diligence has been done to protect the integrity of our Membership process, and ensures all prospective members are not only well-connected, but thoroughly evaluated.
Each new application for Membership is now reviewed a minimum of two times by the Membership Committee before a recommendation is made to the Board of Directors for final approval. Each New Member coming into the Club also requires sponsorship by four Stockholder Members in good standing. Additionally, the Primary Member Sponsor must appear before the Membership Committee for an in-depth interview process. Prospective Members and their Sponsors are also informed of proper conduct, and that any violations of bylaw provisions in regards to behavior within the first year of Membership subjects the new Member and all Sponsors to disciplinary actions by the Board. The Membership Committee and Board of Directors enacted these more formal procedures to ensure we keep the essence of BraeBurn intact, while respecting our Club’s history and quality of Members, in order to ensure a strong future for the Club. We will be further refining this process over the upcoming year, with a change to quarterly access and approval points.
You may have noticed that our Membership demographics are changing as well. Our average age, including Members and dependents, is now hovering around 43 years of age. For Stockholders only, our average age is 52. The Club’s average member tenure across all Membership categories, is 11 years, even with the influx of new members over the least two years. All of this is to say the Club has a bright future because of our Members. BraeBurn is full of tenured and newer Members families, Members both young and old, each of whom contribute to our sense of belonging to this wonderful Club family.
On August 1, 2022, the Stockholder Initiation fee increased to the current $55,000+tax. Our waitlist to belong in the Stockholder category continues to grow in 2022, up from 9 in 2022 beginning of the year, to the current 19. We expect to see this growth and prosperity continue for the Club throughout 2023-24 and beyond Additionally, the Club no longer offers for sale Social or Non-Resident memberships.
13 M E M B E R S H I P C OM M I T T E E A N N U A L R E P OR T A P R I L 2 0 2 2 – MA R C H 2 0 2 3
Over the past twelve months, we added 51 new Stockholding Members. We experienced attrition of 41 Stockholders, most of these resulted from existing Members converting to Senior status or Members relocating. Our success in Membership over the past year is a true testament to the outstanding course construction project, and the excitement and pride this created for the entire Membership.
Junior Members continue to have a positive impact on the club. We added 9 new Junior Members in the past year The Membership Committee lowered the cap of Junior Membership to 40 in 2022, in order to ensure tee time availability. Upon reaching the age of 35, Juniors are required to upgrade to a Stockholder, otherwise resign. Historically, 80% of our Junior Members have chosen to upgrade, and we foresee this trend continuing well into the future.
The Club continues to create new and exciting Member Social events, including the recent Pat Green Concert for a Cause, the beginner Ladies golf clinics, upcoming Pickleball clinics, and some new events throughout the coming year. These events are vital to the overall Member experience, and we invite you to participate in these events, to engage with your fellow members, and continue to create wonderful and memorable experiences.
We would like to offer sincere condolences to the families of the fellow Members we have lost in the past year. Their deaths were felt deeply by the entire BraeBurn family.
Nanette Finger
Dan Burton
Dr. Sam Weber
Connie Benning
Carol Banks
Dr. Donald Lazarz
Looking forward, the Membership Committee has several strategic goals on which we will be hyper-focused throughout the upcoming year and beyond. The first is evaluating all Membership category numbers and Membership counts, to ensure a compaction issue does not arise. Secondly, we will continue to focus on growing and building the waitlist to belong. Most importantly we will be focused on exceeding high levels of the overall member experience each and every day, along with enhancing Member programming and activities across all Club demographics.
14
Total Members 781 As of March 31, 2023 Stockholder 500 Social 59 Senior 115 Widow 5 Senior Social 17 Non-Resident 28 Junior 38 Waitlist Golf 19
On behalf of the entire Membership Committee, we want to thank Lisa Carruth, our Membership Director. Lisa has done a tremendous job in the past year. Her efforts in creating a focused membership initiative to tell the BraeBurn story led to an incredibly successful year. We appreciate all her efforts and applaud and celebrate her continued Membership success.
We would like to offer our sincere appreciation to each Member of the Membership Committee listed below, for their copious amounts of volunteer time and effort in creating and executing this Membership plan. Their efforts will ensure that BraeBurn remains the incredible special place that we all know and love, and ensure the future of the Club remains strong and financially sound. The Membership Committee is optimistic about BraeBurn’s future, as Members, you should be as well.
Respectfully,
Chris Calderwood
Matt Moake Membership Committee Chairman Membership Committee Vice Chairman
Membership Committee Members:
Jeff Applebaum
Brad Bath
Michael Bernick
Jason Berryman
Andrew Cook
Patrick Connelly
Steve Doss
Dr. Justin Douglass
Fernando Granda, Jr.
Ben Hildreth
James Hong
Chris King
Alex Lin
Margaret Pinkston
Mallory Rissmiller
Mark Schlossberg
Jonathan Sloan
Brandon Starr
Jeff Techmanski
Chris Wan
15
Dear Fellow Members,
Working with Marsh & Associates, the Planning Committee has made solid progress since our last update in October 2022. The Facilities Master Plan, which is simply that a roadmap for future facility improvements is progressing nicely. To reiterate, the Committee’s goal is for the Master Plan to provide for the basic development of all facilities, including the Clubhouse, Pool, Golf Pro Shop, Cart storage, Course maintenance facilities, perimeter security fencing, golf teaching center, and security guard shack. Further, this is not an all-inclusive list, as the planning process itself may identify additional future needs. The process is briefly defined below:
Engineering diligence includes a full drainage study, which should be completed by the end of March. The study will be submitted to our regulatory agencies, with comments received back in May. This study will determine if the grounds are capable through detention, retention, and conveyance to avoid costly underground storage, and eliminate disruption of play areas on the golf course. This study, and any subsequent regulatory comments, will aid in framing the scope of work with Marsh, and provide Marsh with an understanding of what we can reasonably build, relocate, or modify with respect to locations of structures going forward. Post Hurricane Harvey, the construction regulations have changed dramatically regarding all construction and impervious surface uses, and Marsh will need to develop this plan knowing the restrictions and reasonable solutions we face.
Marsh will take the engineering findings and develop the Facilities Master Plan. This plan will initially be reviewed by the Committee and Board of Directors for a high-level view of structural footprints and operational needs. Marsh will provide accurate cost estimates for construction, based on their plan. Once those costs are delivered to the Planning Committee, the Finance Committee and Board will create financial models to develop the best funding path options. Additionally, once Marsh, the Committees, and Board are comfortable that the plan serves our current membership’s best interests, as well as the Club’s future needs, the plan will then be presented via Town Hall meetings and Club surveys to gain additional member feedback.
Again, as noted, the main goal of the Facilities Master Plan is to provide a path forward for the Club and not an immediate call to action for construction. There is no timeline for implementation, and we are only focused on completing the Facilities Master Plan at this time. Once the Facilities Master Plan is complete, we will then approach the implementation in a strategic and prudent manner, and expenditures will only be made following a vote of support by the Membership.
Furthermore, the Planning Committee and Board have unanimously agreed with the new Clubhouse decision, including those that initially thought a remodel would be more reasonable. The primary reasons for the construction of a new Clubhouse are:
16 P L A N N I N G C O MM I T T E E A N N U A L R E P OR T A P R I L 2 0 2 2 – MA R C H 2 0 2 3
• To complete any renovation that increases the structural value more than 50%, the entire facility must be brought to current City and County codes. As a result, necessary improvements would include the elimination of any flood encroachment to the structure, a fully modernized electrical code, and ADA compliance for all ingress and egress access points, including elevator construction;
• Completing several small renovation projects that do not exceed the 50% threshold would not be in the best interest for the long-term commitment and value of the Club;
• The contingency for renovation once “behind the walls” could create additional expenses beyond original scope;
• The facilities are currently disconnected from one another. The clubhouse should not only allow access to the locker rooms and dining, but also flow into the fitness center, pool, pro shop, etc. Having these areas separated is not only less desirable for Membership, but presents logistical challenges for food preparation and staffing;
• The current Clubhouse has an inefficient layout and does not meet the demand of great outdoor social spaces and engaging golf course vistas; and
• Finally, to simply bring the current structure to code would cost at least 50% of a brandnew facility and we would still have a Clubhouse with a basement, which is not in a prime location.
In closing, I want to thank those that have been in service with me on the Planning Committee who have voluntarily committed their time and expertise to this process. On behalf of all BraeBurn stakeholders, I commend you for your efforts.
Respectfully,
Kris Westbrook Chairman
Committee Members:
Paul Davidson
Kevin Salmon
Michael Tsang
Carey Ford
Tom Sankey
Stan Whitfill
Greg Grissom
Mark Schlossberg
David Winn
Robby Martin
Jeff Spittel
Cody Womack
17
CLAYTON O. BLACK
I am humbled and honored to be considered to serve on the BBCC Board of Directors. I grew up coming to BraeBurn’s golf camps as a guest of my grandparents, who were long time Members, and they were some of the best weeks of my summer every year. My wife and I were excited to become Members of BraeBurn in 2014, and our family has grown with the club over the last 9 years.
Pam and I have been married for 20 years and have 4 children (Caleb – 10, Ella – 8, Evy – 6, and Charlie –3). We are regulars at pretty much every BraeBurn activity or event, and you can expect to see our entire family on the range or course on Sunday afternoons, and Caleb on the range as often as we can get him to the course. Chicken night, wine club dinners, Sunday brunches, pickle ball, the playground, and the pool are also highlights for our family.
Pam and I both grew up in small towns, and for us, BraeBurn is a rare oasis and escape from the pace and concrete that fill the city. We have developed great friendships with other Member families, and have been blessed by the service of the awesome BraeBurn Staff Members, current and retired, over our last 9 years of Membership.
I was raised an hour southwest of Houston, and moved to Houston after graduating high school. I did my undergraduate work in civil engineering at the University of Houston and earned an MBA from Rice University. I started my career in consulting engineering working primarily in the land development market. I currently serve as the Chief Strategy Officer of Quiddity Engineering, the same firm I have worked for the last 20 years. As a result of my professional background I have worked over the years to support BraeBurn as we did capital improvements to improve our club’s flood resiliency, and our firm served to support the club’s course remodel and reconstruction work led by Tripp Davis and team.
It is an exciting time for BraeBurn, and I am ready for the opportunity to help guide the decisions that will propel us as we continue to be the best club in Houston.
20
