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THE FOLLOWING LETTER APPEARED IN THE 8/29/13 EDITION OF THE GAZETTE; it is reprinted here with permission:
To the editor:
In our numerous “letters to the Editor”, the Yacht
Club’s only objectives have been to address misinformation being circulated
about the club and to educate the public as to the value the organization has provided to the
community for 57 years. We have attempted
to explain to our fellow residents, the true value of our existing and proposed
lease agreements with the Village which includes an estimated value of the
services we provide, as outlined in the new draft lease documents. Some
residents continue to focus only on the rental portion of the lease and not the
entire lease value estimated at $3.5 million over 30 years.
Recently, several letters to the Gazette and Village
Board meeting discussions have again misrepresented facts, withheld facts and presented
erroneous assumptions. The Yacht Club respects every citizen’s right to present
their opinions on any matter, however with that right comes the responsibility
to be truthful and familiar with the facts in presenting their position.
In one recent article a resident and member of the
Planning Board continues to assert that a restaurant be built on the Croton
Yacht Club clubhouse footprint to generate additional revenue even after a
recent Village funded consultant survey determined that the site was the least
desirable of three alternatives. In fact, this survey sited the proposed
restaurant at the same location selected by two other independent studies conducted
in 1997 and 2001.
The same
individual asserted that the proposed 125% increase in rent in the new lease
was a mere “pittance” based upon his perceived value of the site. He and others
make no mention of the value of the lease service obligations, estimated at
$2.6 million, to be rendered by the Yacht Club for over 30 years which brings
the total lease value approaching $3.5 million. Also not mentioned is the
estimated $12 million in economic stimulus to the community resulting from
projected property tax payments as well as goods and services purchased in the
community over 30 years by the Yacht Club and its boaters.
In another recent editorial, a resident categorizes
the draft lease agreement as a “sweetheart deal” between the Village and the
Yacht Club. This statement speaks to the individual’s general lack of
understanding of the facts and details of the draft lease agreement and by its
very wording implies some form of impropriety on the Villages part. The Yacht
Club would like to assure the residents that we have negotiated with the
Village in good faith on a new lease and have been open and transparent in
supplying all financial and background documents requested. We have negotiated
a fair agreement to both parties that will benefit the residents in years to
come.
Another recent editorial questioned the appropriateness
of the insurance clause in the draft lease agreement. The Yacht Club has
recently conducted an independent review of its coverage and rating which has
determined it to be more than adequately covered. The Yacht Club will provide
any and all insurance information requested by the Village and will make any
necessary adjustments in the future.
In this same editorial the resident asserts that
Village employees are being used to work on “prepping the Yacht Club each
season” and references paragraph 7(b) of the draft lease agreement. As a point
of clarification, the work being performed by Village employees as referenced
in this paragraph is for the Villages mooring fields at Senasqua Park which
have nothing to do with the Yacht Club. The Yacht Club would like to reiterate
that no Village manpower or Village funds are used to subsidize or support the
Yacht Club operations.
This same individual raises questions about ADA
compliance and suggests the Village could be exposed to ADA litigation and
mediation costs. The Yacht Club would like to point out that our building was
erected in full compliance with Village codes and, to our knowledge, is ADA
compliant. The Yacht Club also has designated handicap parking spots which
allow access to the promenade around the club house, which was built and paid
for by the club for Village resident access to the riverfront. The new bulkhead
replacement design calls for a new paved promenade approximately ten feet wide
which far exceeds existing accessibility to the riverfront.
The Yacht Club would like to reiterate that we are
not a group of “wealthy yacht owners” who are taking advantage of the taxpayers
as portrayed by some residents in recent articles. In fact, over 45% of regular
members are retired and on fixed incomes, and the average value of the “Yachts”
stored at the marina is approximately $13,000 each.
Yacht Club
members are residents, taxpayers and also concerned citizens who pool their
expertise, talents and labor to provide an affordable opportunity for any
fellow resident to enjoy boating and the river. The Yacht Club is an asset to
this community whose members have taken a once abandoned property, which was a
liability to the Village, and turned it into a valuable community asset at no
cost to the taxpayers.
The Yacht Club does not wish to engage in combative
discussions with fellow residents and we refuse to negotiate our lease agreement
in the press. However, we will continue our diligence in addressing
misinformation, and we hope the information we provide to the taxpayers is
useful in explaining our current relationship with the village which hopefully
supports our relationship into the future.
Respectfully
Submitted
Dennis
Kooney, Director
