Rain, sleet, snow, and hail! When will it all go away? Very soon, of course! The flowers are soon to arrive and our spring is near.  Each year as we get closer to the opening day at Maple Manor Swim Club, the anticipation builds.  We are looking forward to another successful season at the Maple Manor Swim Club where our goals are always to have a safe, fun, and exciting year.

First, we are pleased to announce that for 2011, the annual dues will again stay unchanged.

This will be the 4th year of the most recent capital projects assessment ($100/year/family). It was put in place to offset the pool improvements made in ’08. While this will be the last assessment for members that pre-date 2008, all other members that were able to defer their first installment, will have one more installment due next year. We have included a simple chart to explain the calculations for members that joined after the 2008 season.

This year’s ACT days will held on May 7 (9-4pm), May 14 (9-4pm), May 15 (9-2pm), May 21 (9-2pm). Stop by and say hi, or join other members that volunteer in getting the pool ready for the 2011 season. It is a great way to get to know other members!

Our Board of Directors at Maple Manor strives to keep our quality up and our costs down. This coming year, two of our new board members, Terri Schwabenland and Deanna Williams, will be taking over the many of the duties previously performed by the Maple Manor board’s secretary paid position at no cost. This is a very time consuming job that is highly valued by the club. The Board of Directors (members) contributes many hours during the pool season, but there is also much work to do in the off season, as well.

Historically, this is an example of some of the hours volunteered:

20  hours a year         Each board member for meetings

100 hours a year         Treasurer function

80  hours a year         Bookkeeper function

16  hours a year         Insurance function

150 hours a year         Facilities/Operations committee members

45  hours a year         Snack bar committee members

80  hours a year         Swim team liaison/team representative

20  hours a year         Finance/Audit committee

150 hours a year         Secretary (minutes, mailings, payroll, membership, etc)

Some of the highlights of the coming season to look forward to are:

• Our club manager, Darren Gamel will be returning for his 6th year. Darren has done a great job and works closely with the personnel committee to make sure we have a guard and snack bar staff that are conscientious, friendly, and always looking out for the safety of our members.
• The 2011 swim team season brings a new head swim team coach, Brandon Pierce, to Maple Manor. Brandon will also serve as one of our qualified assistant managers. He was a four year, Division 1, varsity swimmer at Rider University in New Jersey and most recently the Aquatics Director and coach at the Stevens Institute of Technology also located in NJ. Brandon has extensive pool management experience and is currently one of the UDAC swim team coaches where he has already begun to meet and coach many of the local swimmers.
• Brandon, his wife and 6 month old child, currently live in the Yardley area.
• While filling the very large shoes of our beloved 15 year head coach Stu Kukula may seem overwhelming, Brandon will be up to the challenge of keeping Maple Manor’s traditions and spirit.
• A new sand box was built over in the baby pool area under the direction of Brian Schwabenland, along with many members from Boy Scout Troop 542 in Maple Glen. Also assisting were members Dan Norman, Dane and Jessica Nealis, Grace Schwabenland, Danny Asper, Chris Devlin, Tom Voter, Madeline Price, Michael Jensen, Eric Jensen, Sydnee Prosser, Jacklyn Rockwood, Tom Kane, Jason Williams and Carolyn Cover. Thanks to all!

In closing, I want to acknowledge the dedication and service of a few people who have moved on after many years of service to Maple Manor.

First, many thanks to Coach Stu Kukula! He served 15 years as head coach at Maple Manor, and enjoyed 14 undefeated and a single tied season. Although we will miss Coach Stu and his lovely family, they will remain involved, but now as members.

We would also like to share our appreciation for Michael Bonitatibus who has helped Stu the last couple years in building a winning swim team. Mike is now a school teacher in the Philadelphia area.

Another face that seems to be a part of Maple Manor’s fabric is assistant manager Mike Carroll. Mike served many years at Maple Manor and now has moved on to a permanent position in the business world. He will be sorely missed!

We are looking to see you all in a few short weeks.

Thank you!

Mike Cover